


Elsa: Snow Queen [Season 1]

by Vergasi



Series: Elsa: Snow Queen [1]
Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Accidental Incest, Action, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Camp, Clothes, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Food, Mild Horror, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:34:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 74,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24591631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vergasi/pseuds/Vergasi
Summary: Anna, sole princess of Arendelle, runs away from her arranged marriage to Hans of the Southern Isles. She finds herself far in the north, alone, and vulnerable until she is saved by a woman who lives in the enchanted forest.
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney)
Series: Elsa: Snow Queen [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777618
Comments: 18
Kudos: 102





	1. Episode 0: Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Elsa: Snow Queen! This is an ongoing adventure story in the style of episodic television. More frequent updates will be on FF.net.

_My name is Anna. Today is my 18_ _th_ _birthday! Normally that would be a good thing. Unfortunately for me, I am the sole princess of the Kingdom of Arendelle which means that turning 18 comes with very specific rules. Rules such as marriage._

"Ok Anna, are you ready for your present?!"

_That enthusiastic brunette is Rapunzel, princess of the Kingdom of Korona. She's also my best friend… ok my only friend. I'm not really allowed to leave the royal city, or the castle, or hang out with people "beneath my status" as my mother says. Luckily, the neighboring kingdom also had a princess that was my age, or I would have died of boredom a long time ago._

_Now, I know what you might be thinking. What's wrong with marriage? Well, nothing; unless that marriage is to a man, who you've never met. You see, the thing with royals is that we never get to choose who we marry. Marriage is a political arrangement._

_And that means that I marry the 13_ _th_ _in line prince of the Southern whatevers, Hans so-and-so. All arranged for by my mother, Queen Iduna, in order to secure a favorable relationship with said Southern Place-I-Don't-Know and making it so that Hans will eventually succeed the throne as king after my mother passes away._

_Excuse me while I barf in a bucket._

"Anna, close your eyes. Are you ready?"

"You've already asked me that a dozen times Punz. Just give it to me already!"

_With my eyes firmly shut, I'm expecting some kind of large box to land in my hands. A new dress. Some large jewelry. Maybe a new pony? Instead, something else entirely lands… somewhere else entirely. I feel soft lips against my own and I have to hold back a surprised squeak. I keep my eyes shut and lean into the pleasantly surprising present._

_Alright so me and Rapunzel aren't exactly friends, we're kind of more than friends. Which brings us to yet another problem with the whole arranged marriage thing. Sadly, for me, Rapunzel doesn't really see things quite the same way as I do._

"Oh Punzie, why can't we just stay like this forever?" _The words barely escape my lips as they pull just slightly away from Rapunzel's own. My eyes slowly start to open to look into those baby doll emeralds staring back at me._

"We've talked about this Anna. You're going off to marry Hans next week. I'm going back to Corona to marry Eugene. Girl's can't get married, we can only just… have fun! I don't get what's so hard to understand. It's not like we can't continue these little… rendezvous after we get married."

_She gives me a sly look with those eyes as she runs her fingers over my hair playing with the lock of white that's mixed into the rest of the red. So maybe I don't understand. I just… really don't want to marry some man I've never met._

_It's easier for her. Eugene is a great guy who saved her from being kidnapped. Practically a fairytale prince charming, except for the part about him being a thief. But this Hans guy? Sure, maybe he's dreamy and princely and charming or whatever princes are supposed to be._

_That doesn't change the fact that when I think about marrying him, or any him for that matter, my heart just aches. I want to tell her that it's because I'm in love with her. But I know she doesn't feel the same. As she said, this is just for fun. Honestly, I think she really does love Eugene. She just also likes our… intimate time together._

"You're right. I just… really love the present. Is there more where that came from?"

_I give her my best practiced smile. Whether she can't tell it's forced, or she ignores it I don't know._

_She moves in, gently pushing me down onto the bed as our lips meet once again. Her body is hanging over me. I can feel her chest moving up and down against my own. Our hands intertwine against the pillows. I try my hardest to forget about the marriage and just let this moment last for as long as possible._

* * *

**1 Week Later**

_So, I have made a lot of rash decisions in my day. Playing pranks on unfortunate servants, hiding in the royal city having the guards search for me causing mass panic. Accidentally causing a ship to crash into the dock. They are not that easy to steer as it turns out._

_This latest decision of mine though, probably takes the cake. Oh, I should have brought cake! Oh well too late now. I'm already snuggled securely, and uncomfortably, in the back of a wagon. I am not quite sure where this wagon is going, but it's going away from the royal city and that is what I want… I think? I don't know. I just know that I don't want to be there when the ship from the… Smothered Islands?... docks and unloads its pretentious cargo._

_Maybe if I hang out for a day in one of the outlying villages, mother will see reason and postpone the wedding. Ya let's go with that. Man, it's boring sitting here. I should have brought a book as well as cake. *YAWN* Maybe I'll just take a quick nap. I'm sure I'll wake up when we stop._

* * *

**Nightfall**

"What in God's name?!" The old, bearded wagon driver exclaims. Anna wakes with a jerk rubbing her groggy eyes and wiping the drool from her face.

"Wha… ? Where am I?" She belts out a wide-open yawn, stretching her arms over her head. She takes a look at the wagon driver. He looks absolutely terrified.

"Pri…..Prin…PRINCESS!? Oh, dear god I've kidnapped the princess! I'll be hanged, I'll be beheaded! Your highness I have to get you back to the castle immediately!"

Anna is startled by his concern. "Whoa, whoa it's ok. It's ok really! Don't worry. You didn't kidnap me. I ran away!" She gives him a reassuring smile. "I'll explain everything to mom when I get back. So, where are we again?" She looks around and a slight worry starts to trickle down her thoughts.

"Your highness… you should not be here! This is Tronsvik. We are a whole day's ride north, outside of Arendelle! We have to keep you hidden until tomorrow. I will return you to the royal city at first light. Oh god I hope no one sees you…"

She looks at him with confused worry. "So, Tronsvik is not a part of the kingdom then?"

"No, your highness. It's a trading town far to the north. Independent of any kingdom." He lowers his voice and leans in so she can hear. "It's a place full of… unsavory people from all over. They come here to trade outside of the laws of the kingdoms."

She fixes him with a questioning gaze. "And, what do _you_ sell here if I may ask?" He pulls back and holds his hand against his beard.

"Nothing of ill-repute ma'am I assure you! I come up here to trade the finest medicine this side of the North Sea! Oaken's Cold Remedy! It's quite popular this far north. Oaken is a dear friend, but he doesn't usually trade outside of the kingdom. Ahem, now, your highness we have to get you to an inn and out of sight as soon as possible. People around here can't know that a _princess_ is here, unguarded no less!"

"An unguarded princess, you say?"

The old man is instantly consumed in a cold sweat. He slowly turns to face a towering figure standing behind him. Blonde braids drape over his shoulders. His beard is similarly braided. In his hands, he holds a worn axe. Probably not for cutting wood.

The old man's voice quivers.

"What? No sir. I just call my dear niece princess here. You know she is a princess in my eyes. I try to spoil her rotten. Speaking of which, would you be interested in the best cold remedy ever concocted?"

His hands rummage for a bottle in his jacket, but their search ends abruptly. Annas eyes grow wide with shock and horror, tears mixing with blood from the man's neck as the axe is driven down through his collarbone.

"NO!" she screamed louder than she's ever screamed anything in her life. She jumps out of the wagon, unconcerned with the blonde man standing before her and catches the wagon driver in her arms.

"Oh my god. Oh my god! Don't worry, you'll be ok. I'll find a doctor! SOMEBODY HELP!"

She desperately looks around searching for any sign of help. The few people she sees run inside and close their doors. She is left alone with a dying man in her arms and a bloody axe slowly walking toward her.

"Your highness…" the old man's voice barely wheezes out of his mouth.

"Shhhh. Don't talk. Save your strength. I'll stop the bleeding. I have to do something!" She takes off her dark green cape and tries to put pressure on the man's neck to no avail. He manages a last breath to speak a single word.

"…run…"

She feels rough fingers dig into her scalp, dragging her off the ground by her red locks. Her eyes wince from the erupting pain. She feels a putrid, fishy breath on her face.

"Well, well, well. The princess of Arendelle no less. I will make quite a bit of coin selling you to the slave markets."

She desperately tries to escape from his grasp. Her pampered fingers feebly scratching at his muscular arm. Legs trying to kick his torso. Her eyes are filled with a mixture of terror and anger.

With his last bit of dying energy, the wagon drivers hand reaches toward his belt, and pulls out a dagger. He uses all of his strength left in his body to slam the dagger down into the slaver's foot piercing all the way into the ground. The slaver lets out a yell and his hand releases Anna's hair.

Without a single thought she runs, faster than she's ever needed to run, into the forest. The slaver pulls the knife out of his foot and jams it into the old man's chest. He takes off after the runaway princess, hobbling on his injured foot but still managing to pick up speed.

_Shit Shit Shit! I screwed up! I screwed up big time. God, mom, what have I done._

Her vision is clouded by her tears. She tries to wipe them away as she runs desperately through the dark and tangled northern woods. She can't see more than a few feet in front of her. Her feet stumble on rocks and branches. Her hand reaches out to steady herself against a pillar of rock. Her heart is pumping vigorously with adrenaline as she continues running, not noticing the 4 pillars standing out of the ground or the thick fog that she ran into.

The slaver is not far behind.

Her breath begins to smoke. The heat from her body is blocking out the sudden cold. She doesn't even notice the crunching sound of her feet hitting snow. Until she hears a different set of footsteps behind her.

_He's catching up to me. Shit where did this snow come from!? He'll follow my tracks at this rate. Where did that fog go? God why is this forest so clear all of a sudden? That stupid moon needs to go away! I need to find someplace to hide…._

Then metal rings off her skull. She hits the ground in a split second, blood oozing into the fresh white powder. Her vision is fuzzy. She desperately tries to get up and keep running, but her body will no longer listen. Despite her desperate attempts, she succumbs to the darkness and the cold.

* * *

_I'm flying. Or I'm swimming? My body is flying, and my head is swimming. Wait, that doesn't make sense. I think I'm dead. I probably have gorgeous angel wings taking me up to heaven right now. This will probably be more fun if I can open my eyes._

_Ugh, my eyes hurt. Why can't I see anything? Everything is so blurry._

_Wait, I feel something. I'm not flying. I'm being carried. Shit I'm being carried. He knocked me out and now I'm being carried to be sold as a slave. I have to get away. I still have time._

_Come on arms get moving! It doesn't matter what you hit, just hit something and then legs we will worry about you after. DAMN IT HIT SOMETHING ALREADY!_

"Stop that."

 _Wow this guy has a really feminine voice. Wait, what happened to the gruff, fishy voice?_ Her flailing hands brush up against something soft. _This isn't braided, greasy hair. This is very soft, flowy hair. It smells like… juniper? Come on eyes my hands can't do everything on their own!_

Her vision begins to clear, just for an instant. She was expecting a large, muscular, man carrying her to a life of servitude and despair. Instead she is greeted by a different figure entirely.

 _Oh. My. God. I am dead. I guess my wings haven't grown in yet because I'm being carried to heaven by an angel. No, this is no angel. This… this is a goddess._ Her vision blurs again and she slips back into the darkness.

* * *

**Later**

_My head is killing me. And I'm freezing. I feel like I'm laying down in an ice cube. I thought heaven would be warmer._

"Are you awake?"

"AHHH!" _Jesus, she scared the hell out of me._

Anna bolts upright, her head exploding in pain. She grabs her head and notices bandages wrapped around her forehead. She tries her best to keep her nausea from ending up on her clothes. She looks for the disembodied voice and sees that she is sitting in a pile of fresh snow in the middle of the forest.

_Well no wonder I'm freezing._

Then she sees her. Piercing blue eyes staring at her. The goddess was sitting on the ground, her knees bent up to her face and her arms wrapped around them. She was dressed entirely in white, practically blending in with the snow surrounding them. Their eyes met and they sat there staring at each other. Time seemed to stop, just for a moment. Then the goddess spoke again, her voice as soft as the gentle wind blowing through the trees.

"What are you staring at?"

All Anna could manage to say in response was a muffled "I'm cold."

"What?"

"I'm really, really cold."

The ethereal stranger furrows her brows looking seemingly confused. Then she raises her head slightly, her blue eyes widen with concern.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I forgot. I'll make a fire right away."

Anna's jumbled head began to sort itself out as she stared, dumbfounded at her savior.

_She looks adorable. And also, kind of creepy. Wait she forgot what? That humans need heat? Is she not cold? Come to think of it she doesn't look like she's wearing much of anything. She has bare shoulders and even bare feet! In the snow! It looks like just a simple, thin, very form fitting, tunic thing over some kind of tight pants? They almost look like they blend into her skin. Her skin is so pale. And her hair! It's as white as the snow. I've never seen anyone like this before. Not that I've seen many people but still._

The concussed redhead watches as the snowy figure gathers some dry branches nearby and places them in a pile in front of her.

_I feel so rude just staring at her, but I can't take my eyes away. Also, what if she's like a ghost, or some kind of witch that's going to eat me. Better to keep my eyes on her as much as possible. Yes, good excuse Anna!_

"Bruni, if you please."

Suddenly, a small blue creature jumps off of the woman's shoulder and crawls into the branches. Without any warning they burst into intense, red and purple flames.

"Holy Jesus! You just lit that poor lizard on fire!"

"I did no such thing. Bruni is a fire salamander. He's not a lizard."

"Right. Fire salamander. Because that's totally a thing." Anna shoots the taller woman with a doubtful gaze and then looks back to the fire shocked to see little eyes staring back at her through the flames. Amazingly the small salamander walks out of the flames unscathed and crawls into Annas lap. She picks him up with her hands and studies him intently.

_What is going on here? He's so warm. Feels nice. Is this some kind of magic creature? She's acting like it's totally normal._

Anna skootches closer to the fire, so she is no longer sitting in the snow. As soft as it was, it was not helping her body temperature. They both sat there, staring at each other from across the fire. After several awkward moments Anna found her voice again.

"What happened to that man who was…"

"You do not need to concern yourself with him anymore" the stranger said with a cold dead pan.

"Oh, well that's good cause I was not looking forward to being sold off as a slave." Anna tried to break the ice with a forced chuckle. It did not work.

"So… you saved me?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. My name is Anna. What's yours?"

"If you can walk, you should leave."

_Well that was abrupt._

"Wait, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me your name. It's just when a damsel gets in distress, she tends to want to know the name of their gorgeous knight in shining armor you know?" _Wait, did I just say that out loud?_

The woman's eyes grow, just a fraction, for just a moment and then return to their dead stare.

"No, I don't know, and you should leave. Now."

Before Anna could respond her voice is blocked by a loud gust of wind barreling through the forest, nearly blowing the fire out. Anna's hair wisps around her head as she tries to keep dirt from getting in her eyes. The snowy figure launches to her feet. She sends concerned glances all around her into the trees.

"I've kept you here too long. I should never have brought you. You need to leave!"

Anna rises to her own feet not understanding what's going on.

"Wait, please, what's happening? I… I have nowhere to go. If I go back to that village, I'll be taken by some other slaver. I'm here all alone…"

Anna was again pierced by those stunning blue eyes as they fixed their gaze back on her.

"I don't care. The forest does not want you here. Your presence is not tolerated. If you do not leave you will die."

"The _forest?_ Look I don't know what's going on, but you cared enough to save me so please, can't you, I don't know, talk to the forest?"

The ground beneath them begins to shake. The fire withers away and the magical creature returns to the woman's shoulder. For the first time since their encounter, Anna sees a tinge of fear in those icy blue eyes. Loud rumbling erupts behind the princess. She slowly turns to see the source.

_Ok well fire salamanders, snow women, and now giant, moving, tree monsters. I really hope this is all the concussion and I'm in a bed somewhere drooling on my pillow._

Rising out of the ground before them is a hulking behemoth of wood and rock. It has a face like the skull of a reindeer crowned with antlers of bark. Glowing green eyes stare down with disgust and malice. It stands on its legs rooted into the ground, towering over the two women like a great oak tree. Anna is paralyzed with fear at the sight, even as the monster slowly raises its truncated arms over its head. They come crashing down and she can't help but shut her eyes in panic.

Then a gentle hand touches her back. Her eyes lift open and she sees the goddess standing next to her, their bodies practically touching. One cool hand against her back and the other raised in the air above them. Then Anna sees it. The towering wall of ice protecting them from being pummeled into the ground.

Anna looks back to her savior and their eyes meet, seemingly for the first time. She sees fear in them again, but not fear of the monster before them. They look fearful of _her_. As if the goddess is afraid Anna is some demon about to attack her. Instead Anna lets out the one thought that has entered her mind, pushing out all of the fear, panic, and dread from this whole experience. She looks into those fearful, fathomless, sapphires and whispers...

"amazing…"

Almost as if her own resolve washed into the eyes staring back at her, the fear was replaced with steely resolve. Before Anna could process what was happening, she was lifted off her feet into the arms of the goddess. Then she felt a rush of air as they seemingly flew through the forest. It took Anna a few moments to process what was happening. The exhilaration caused her to hold on as tightly as she could to the woman, arms draped over her bare shoulders.

_Oh my god, we're flying! For real this time! It's not just my concussion. At least I don't think it is. She's gliding on rivers of ice forming under her bare feet! Oh lord I hope I don't hurl all over her pristine back. AH! That thing is chasing us!_

Looking over the pale shoulder, Anna can see the hulking mass bounding through the forest. Its antlers piercing the trees like paper. Suddenly the two women are launched high in the air by a pillar of ice. Anna desperately holds her mouth with a hand to keep from vomiting. They clear the tree line and she can see the expansive forest before her.

_It's so beautiful, if only it wasn't trying to kill me._

Below her, out of the corner of her eye, she makes out what looks to be a sculpture of a man made of solid ice. He has an axe in one hand and the other is reaching toward the ground as if to pick something up.

_Wait, is that…?_

Then they begin to fall, and she isn't sure if they are plummeting to their death. The next thing she knew they were smothered in a thick fog. She realized it was the same fog she had run through to escape her would-be captor. They land on the ground, bare feet seemingly unaffected by the impact, as they sprint through the fog.

Anna thought she could hear something fast approaching behind them. The visibility made it impossible for her to see more than a few feet. Without warning a massive boulder appears flying through the fog straight at them. The goddess turns just in time to catch the boulder with a shield of ice appearing on her arm, but the impact was still enough to launch them backward until they came tumbling out of the mist into a clearing. Both women lay on the ground, hearts pounding in their chests.

"Are… are we safe yet?" Anna panted. She turns her head to the platinum hair lying next to her.

"Yes. We left the forest. He won't follow us through the mist."

The woman slowly rose to her feet and walked back to the voluminous wall. She reached out a hand and a purple glow emanated around it. Then her arm was violently repelled back. She clutched her hand with a pained look on her face.

Anna sat up and looked at her with worry.

"What does that mean?"

Without turning to face her, she simply stared into the mist and said "I defied the forest, and I was banished. I can never go back. I am no longer welcome in my home."

* * *

_What have I done? The forest was my home, the only home I've ever known, and I threw it away on a whim. And for what? For idle curiosity about this… this girl that wandered into my forest. No, not my forest anymore. That man deserved his fate for entering my domain, but she should have followed suit. Now I am just a lost fox tossed to the wolves._

"Hey, I know it doesn't mean much but I'm sorry."

The taller woman turns away from the concerned redhead giving a new meaning to the cold shoulder. She begins to walk away in any direction away from the lost princess and away from the place she was raised.

"Hey, wait. Please, don't leave me!"

"Go away! I should never have helped you."

"Look, I never asked you to save me. And I'm sorry that saving me caused you to get thrown out of your home. I really am! I feel awful. Please, let me make it up to you somehow. I owe you… anything, everything! You saved my life and in return you lost your home. I have to do something for you. You can come with me back to the royal city! You can…"

"I can what!? Live in a mansion or a castle or wherever it is you lordlings live? I am a WITCH. I will be burned at the stake if I so much as step foot in the royal city! No. I will stay here, in the north away from those people. I will bring you to Tronsvik and secure you passage back to the royal city. No one will bother you so long as you are with me. The people of that village know of my reputation. You will be safe. You can catch a ship which will take you back as quickly as possible and we will never see each other again."

Anna stood there, speechless at the harsh words. She watched as the supposed witch started to walk away from her toward the village.

"You can follow me, or you can stay here and die."

Willing her legs to move, Anna made her way behind the platinum blonde woman, making sure to keep a respectful distance. They walked through the stretch of woods, taking longer than Anna remembered having run this distance the night before. As they approached the village dawn was beginning to break. Tronsvik started to awaken with a slight bustle however at the sight of the ghostly figure walking into the village people quickly retreated back indoors.

"Wait, please. There is something I have to do first."

_What is she doing? She's running towards a corpse in the street._

"What are you doing?"

"I have to give him a burial."

"Did you know this man?"

"No. But he's dead because of me so I owe him something. He tried to save me too and it got him killed. They took his wagon, but they left his body in the street. It's not right…"

_There are tears in her eyes again. Why does she care? He was killed and she survived. She should be happy and leave him to rot._

"People up here don't care about such things. You should leave him. We don't have time. You need to get on the next ship sailing south."

"NO. I have to do this."

Her sudden outburst startled the blonde. She studied the red head intently. She has lived in these northern fringes her entire life. She's encountered nobles before. Traveling to Tronsvik to partake in the illegal services one can find in such a lawless place. They seemed more heartless than the scoundrels. But this girl, for all intents and purposes still risking her life being clearly a highly valuable and vulnerable noblewoman to perform some frivolous nicety for a man she didn't know. The blonde was perplexed enough to follow.

_She's trying so hard to lift him up. She can't possibly carry that weight. I don't think she's needed to carry anything in her life._

"Look, I'm not going to ask you to help me."

"Ok."

The blonde was shot with a look of annoyance from blue-green eyes and furrowed brows.

"I'm not going to say no either…"

"So, you are asking me to help you."

"NO. just, never mind!"

The poor girl fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. Then she collected her resolve and proceeded to hoist the fallen hero up into her arms. Blue eyes watching her, impressed. She followed the girl back into the outskirts of the village. They stopped by a small babbling brook. She watched as the red head attempted to dig a hole with her bare hands. Her expensive clothing, already worn from her ordeal, getting covered in dirt. Her hands already beginning to turn raw.

"You can't bury someone this far north. The ground is too hard."

"Well what do people do up here then?" She choked out the words trying to hold back sobs.

"They create a burial mound. Here…" She raised her arms to summon her magic, creating a snowy cloud that she used to dig a slight furrow into the ground. Anna placed the man's body gently into it and covered him with the dark green cape she had used to try and save his life. Then that same cloud gently rested on top of his body and solidified into an immaculate tomb of ice.

"It will not melt. I will allow his body to be absorbed back into the earth from underneath, but his memory will always be marked here."

Anna was kneeling next to the newly created memorial of ice. Tears were streaming down her face, her nose sniffling.

"Thank you…"

"Do not thank me. Now, let us find a ship to take you home."

They both were interrupted by a loud grumble. Anna's cheeks turned red as she realized it had come from her empty stomach.

"Um… I'm sorry. I haven't eaten in over a day. Can we get something real quick before you send me off?"

The response that she got was an immaculate eyeroll of sapphire.

"Fine. The villagers don't like when I am here and neither do I."

"Can we also get some supplies? I did not dress to come up this far north. I'm still freezing, and I feel like I'm going to pass out any second."

"I'm not carrying you again."

"Are you sure you don't want to? You did it pretty willingly before."

For the first time Anna saw some color rise in those porcelain cheeks.

"That was…It was necessary! It wasn't a matter of wanting to or not. Not that I do or don't want to… You can walk just fine on your own!"

And with that she stormed back into the village and promptly entered a supply shop. Anna following briskly behind.

_I should leave her in her own ditch. I don't know why I'm going through all this trouble for this pampered, spoiled, pristine, girl with all those spots on her face that I can't stop staring at for some reason. She's ruined my entire world! She got me kicked out of my home! Why did I defy the forest for the sake of this… this… stranger? Why is it whenever I look at her, I feel… some weird sensation? I don't like it. Look at her. Browsing around like this is some kind of high-class establishment. Her eyes are so big you would think she's never been in a shop before. The tears seem to be gone from her face at least. That's good. That's good? Why is that good? UGH!_

"Haven't seen you here in awhile, ice queen. Your usual?"

She pulls her eyes away from the inquisitive red head and fixes the trader with her icy dead stare. Despite her apprehension about being in the village she has needed to for things that she could not get herself in the forest. On one of her first trips sneaking into Tronsvik she had developed a taste for a certain luxury item that was hard to come by. She managed to build up an… amicable relationship with this particular trader who usually kept said item in stock.

"No. Warm clothes, for her, and a large cloak for myself."

"Do you have anything in green?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course, it matters. I'm not gonna go home dressed in some tacky thing."

"You will be lucky he has anything at all for a woman. Now be quiet!"

The burly trader raises an eyebrow at the exacerbated blonde.

"Who's that? Your sister? Heh"

"Do we look like sisters!? I'm sorry." After she catches her breath, and Anna is a little bit out of ear shot, "do you have anything… small? That would fit her. Something fur lined and… green?"

He gives her a faint smile. "Sure-thing queen. I got just the thing. I must say it's nice seeing you like this."

She raises her own eyebrow back at him. "Like what?"

"Something resembling an emotion." He hands her a collection of items: Leather jacket with a fur collar, long skirt, fur-lined leather boots and gloves, a dark green cape with a hood, not as nice of material as Anna's previous cape but probably much more durable, and one dark brown travel cloak, not much good for warmth.

"Oh! And a bag! I kind of lost mine last night."

The ice queen fixes her with an angry scowl. Anna didn't seem to notice as she beamed back at her. She gave the red head the clothes to change into and turned back to the trader.

"And a travel bag, please. And… throw in some of the usual too."

He nods with a grin and gathers the rest of the items. She pays him and walks out the door without another word. Anna comes tumbling out behind her. The ice queen shoves the bag into Annas newly insulated arms as she dawns her own cloak, pulling the hood over her distinctive white locks. She inspects the smaller girl. The winter wear is surprisingly fitted with fur accents lining the edges. The boots might be a little big but not uncomfortably so. Anna inspects herself and does a little twirl. She looks up and sees the queen also inspecting her. Pink flushes the pale cheeks again as she quickly turns.

"So, where's the next stop?"

She doesn't respond, but instead simply walks deeper into the village.

Now that it was daylight Anna could really take in the village of Tronsvik. No, not really a village as she see's now. It was actually a large town. It connected to a fjord, much like Arendelle. It had an elaborate dock filled with ships coming and going. It looks like it started out as a whaling town but had expanded since. The dock area was still predominantly devoted to whaling and fishing merchants. Radiating inland from the docks was a series of merchant stalls that then gave way to more established shops. The town was littered with snow, but old snow. Snow that had not melted from the winter even though it was the middle of spring. This far north winter lasted most of the year.

The newly cloaked figure walked up to a building sitting on a corner across from the fish market stalls. Anna read a sign hanging over the door.

"The Frozen Heart? Wow that's overly dramatic. And appropriate for this place I guess."

The two women walk in and Anna could see that it was an Inn with food and drinks, a well-lit fireplace and lots of patrons. Hardy looking men who seem more used to life in the frozen seas than on land. They take a seat at a table as secluded as the queen could find.

"So, what's on the menu? What's good here? I hope they have dessert!"

She got another trademark unemotional dead stare in response with maybe a flash of annoyance lingering. That stare moved toward the innkeeper, a middle-aged woman with dirty blonde hair and seemingly burlier than most of the men inside, who seemed to understand this unspoken command and came over with a plate of… something.

"Oh, I'm sorry miss, I didn't see… you have company with you! This is quite unexpected. I'll get another plate right away." She promptly came back with another plate of the mystery substance as well as two large tankards of probably not water. Anna poked at the squishy, wobbly mound sitting in front of her.

"Wow you get some royal service in this place, don't you?"

"She fears me. They all fear me."

"That trader didn't seem afraid. If anything, I was surprised you seemed to almost be friendly."

"We built an understanding. He has things I need. But make no mistake. He fears me like all the rest."

"How do you pay for all this stuff?" As soon as the words left her mouth her face grew serious and she looked awkwardly away from the woman sitting across from her.

"Is it… Do you have to do… you know… things? I'm sorry I shouldn't ask. It's none of my business."

"What are you… What? No! No. I… it is none of your business, but it is not _that_."

"Whew that's good. I'm sorry it's just I figure being a lone woman in this kind of place there aren't many options for work you know."

"Yes, I know. And yes, there are those unfortunate women here as well. But I make money… a different way."

Anna takes a bite of the squishy blob. She rolls it around in her mouth and hesitantly swallows.

"It's…yummy…" She gives the biggest forced smile she's ever mustered.

"It's whale. High in fat. It will give you energy and help keep you warm."

Anna swallowed hard and took a large swig of the liquid only to start vehemently coughing onto the table.

"Holy cow what is that?"

"It's mead. It will also keep you warm. They water it down so you don't get drunk but considering your size you should probably not drink too much of it."

"Don't they have, I don't know, just water?"

"Plain water will make you sick here. Better to drink the mead."

Anna scrunches her face in distaste at the thought of consuming more of the vinegary liquid. The queen looked at her face and for some reason handed the girl her own cup.

"Yours is empty."

The other woman reached over and placed her hand over the cup. When she pulled it away fresh snow was left behind which proceeded to melt into clear, clean, water.

"Um… Thank you. But that kind of came out of your body or something. Is that sanitary?"

"It did not… Just drink it or drink the mead!"

She raised a tired hand to her forehead in exacerbation.

_She's completely oblivious to all the people watching us. Looks of confusion, anger… fear. They think she must be another witch. That I've grown my coven and will start to eat their children. I need to speed this along. I don't know why I seem to be taking my time getting her out of my life. Like she has me in some kind of trance. Maybe she is a witch like me after all…_

Without realizing that she had spoken, the queen had said the words "Why is your hair like that?" _Wait what did I just do?_

The red head stopped, mid chew looking back at the woman flabbergasted. Trying hard not to choke on her food as she swallowed it down, she said "my hair? You mean that it's red? Or… oh you mean this!" She pulls on the strands of white that flows down only on one side of her loose fiery hair.

"I was born with it. Never thought about it really. Come to think of it, it reminds me of your hair!"

"I like it."

Both girls sat there, faces mutually turning bright shades of red and pink. Neither one knowing how to respond.

_She is definitely a witch._

"Can I be honest with you?"

Blue eyes give her a questioning look but nod any way.

"I know I've ruined your life, and again I'm deeply sorry. More sorry than anything. I really wish there was something I could do to make it up to you. I feel like you think you're giving me the cold shoulder, sorry bad pun your shoulder looks very inviting, sorry ignore that! Ahem!"

She pretends to cough to clear her throat.

"You have been more kind to me than… well anyone even in my life back in Arendelle. Yes, I have friends, ok one friend, but if I'm being honest, I think she's just using me or doesn't really care about me. I don't think she would ever risk her life for me. I don't think anyone would unless my mom told them to. You don't know my mom, and you don't know me really, yet you've gone out of your way for me like this. I've never met anyone like you!"

"I don't expect you to have met many witches."

"No! You're not a witch! And I'm not talking about what you can do. I'm talking about you! You're really… amazing!"

The queen's eyes grew wide. Her mouth agape in surprise and confusion.

"I respect that you want me out of your life. And pretty soon I will be. I'm just glad that we got to share this meal and I'd like to think that despite everything I've done that you would forgive me. And that maybe I could call you a friend? I know it's wishful thinking and you probably hate me more than anyone right now, but I wanted you to know that I'll always remember you for what you did."

_What is she saying? Forgiveness? She's asking me, a horrible monster, for forgiveness. I don't deserve such privilege. I don't deserve that look in her eyes. She's looking at me with such sadness and longing like she found something that she had lost long ago._

This time the queen was the one oblivious to the look that she was mirroring back at the girl pouring her heart out in front of her. Oblivious to the words she was about to say and their meaning.

"Elsa."

"What?"

"My name… is Elsa."

* * *

_I can't breathe. My heart is beating too fast! Slowdown will ya I'm gonna hyperventilate and embarrass myself. She just told me her name. It's not like she asked me to marry her! Keep it cool Anna, nice and cool. Where is she going?_

Elsa had gotten up from the table and placed a few coins onto the bar. She walked over to the door and started to walk outside. Before she walked through the door, however, she turned to look at Anna over her shoulder. Those blue eyes suddenly had a new sense of warmth, if only for a moment as if asking Anna if she is coming. Anna bolted out of her seat and joined Elsa outside.

Anna couldn't help the beaming smile on her face as she skipped onto the road in front of the Frozen Heart. She looked and saw Elsa standing in front of her, facing ahead seemingly stuck in her tracks.

 _Aw she's waiting for me this time. Progress! So much progress. Maybe she will decide to come back with me. How will that go over with mom? 'Hey mom, this is Elsa! She's my new girlfriend! If you want Hans to be king so bad, then_ you _can marry him!' Ew bad thought bad thought! Ya that will go over great._

_What's Elsa staring at? Why isn't she moving? There's a guy standing in front of her. Wait… I think I recognize that guy… It looks kind of like…_

_Oh shit._

Anna notices the dark liquid at Elsa's left foot, trickling down her leg and arm. And then the glint from something metal poking out from her shoulder. Anna runs over to her. She sees that Elsa has not just one arrow buried into her shoulder but another that she managed to catch with tendrils of ice and another in her bare right hand. She's wincing in pain but refusing to succumb. Anna has no more tears left after everything that's happened and instead looks at the familiar face with anger, standing between him and the injured goddess.

"Kristoff, stop!" She holds her hands out wide as if to shield Elsa from more arrows.

 _Mom is really, really pissed if she sent_ him _out to get me._

"You're coming back home Princess. Don't worry, I'll kill the witch that kidnapped you, so she won't return again. Just get out of the way."

"No! She is not a witch and she didn't kidnap me! I ran away!"

He looks at her with his crossbow still pointed at Elsa and raises his eyebrow. His face looks completely disinterested in anything Anna has to say.

"She sure looks like a witch. And the word around this town is that she can control the winter. She can kill a man by freezing him solid. I'm not taking any chances. Get out of the way."

_He must have surprised her with that first arrow. She was probably distracted because of me! Shit this is my fault AGAIN. No! Not this time! I've had it with all of this!_

Anna strides straight toward Kristoff making sure her body doesn't leave his line of sight to Elsa. She walks right up to him and smacks the crossbow down with her hands.

"You will NOT hurt her! I command you as your princess! You will take me home, NOW."

She crossed her arms, confident at her commands.

Kristoff looks at her with apathetic eyes. As if he was staring at a large piece of baggage that he was commanded to carry up a flight of stairs.

"Sorry Princess, I take orders from the Queen."

He raises his crossbow again and points directly at Elsa's head. Elsa raises her right arm to summon a protective wall of ice but the pain in her shoulder causes her to hesitate, clouding her mind too much to summon something strong enough. Anna doesn't think. She punches him in the gut as hard as she could. He doubles over, arrow narrowly missing. Anna grabs a nearby fish, the size of a battle axe, and smacks him over the head.

She runs back to Elsa who has grabbed hold of the arrow piercing her shoulder. She freezes it solid and it shatters without a trace in her body. Anna manages to catch her from falling.

"Come on Elsa we have to get out of here. Do your ice slide thing and..."

"I can't concentrate enough." She pants as she looks like she is about to faint from the pain.

"Ok well I can't carry you, as much as I would like to. So, come on we have to run out of here then."

With all her might she pulls Elsa along the road. Instead of turning back into the forest, Anna looks towards the docks.

"Elsa, I have an idea. Are you able to at least freeze the water around the docks? If we take a boat and you trap the other boats, then he won't be able to follow us up the fjord and we can lose him. He's the best tracker in the kingdom. There's no way we'd lose him back through the forest."

Elsa clutches at her shoulder as her magic desperately tries to heal the wound.

"I should be healed by now. Why am I having so much trouble concentrating?"

"He probably hit you with some kind of poison arrow. If he knew that you had magical powers he was probably prepared."

"I think I can manage a storm and let nature take care of the rest."

"Ok I don't know what that means but I'll take whatever you can give me."

The two women ran as fast as they could through the dock yards. Kristoff, already recovered from the fish to his face, was chasing them down, crossbow in hand. They ran through a seemingly endless collection of market stalls, hanging seafood, exotic goods crashing onto the wooden floor. People start yelling in annoyance but know better than to get in the way. This is probably not the first time someone has run through here trying to escape a bounty hunter.

Elsa tries to gather as much magic as she could into her hand and launches it straight up into the sky. It explodes into plumes of magical storm clouds. Several moments pass before fresh snow starts to trickle down onto the docks.

Anna finds a small boat and nearly tosses the injured woman into it causing her to gasp in pain.

"I'm so sorry. Hang on."

The exertion from using her magic combined with the pain in her shoulder was finally too much for the injured woman. She passed out on the floor of the small fishing boat.

Anna was left to fumble with the rigging. She managed to untie one rope, but then tripped on the second one. The magical storm that Elsa had created was still too weak to do anything to the water, but the snow was starting to pick up. The light breeze started to become restless. Anna heard creaking wood in front of her.

She looked up to see her pursuer. Those apathetic eyes now laced with annoyance. There was no way she could get the boat safely away anymore. She looked back into it, seeing Elsa's motionless body laying there, totally vulnerable. As vulnerable as Anna had been when Elsa found her.

Anna stood her ground.

"You hit me with a fish!"

"You deserved it."

"Don't make this difficult for yourself, princess."

"If I go back home with you… will you let her go?"

He heaves a large sigh of irritation.

"My orders, from your mom, are to bring you back to the castle by any means necessary, and to kill whoever took you."

"No one took me! I ran away! What don't you get about that!?"

"You think I don't know what this looks like? You run away from your impending wedding and wind up in this seedy place next to a magical woman? That woman is clearly a witch. She could have put a spell on you to trick you into defending her. Frankly, I never trust anything out of your bratty mouth anyway what with all the stunts you pull."

Anna's jaw clenches, her hands ball up into fists.

"So, this is what's going to happen…"

He starts to slowly walk up to Anna, crossbow drawn and loaded.

"I'm going to kill the witch. Then I'm going to tie you up and gag you and throw you on the back of Sven and ignore you until we get back to Arendelle and I can dump you into the arms of your impatiently waiting prince."

Whether it was arrogance, misogyny, laziness, or a combination of all that and more, which caused the next event to unfold, Kristoff may never know. But he would have a lot of time to think about it. He strolled right up to Anna, eyes again regarding her with the same perception one regards the dirt on the ground. He had no inclination, no awareness, no foresight whatsoever of the fury approaching his face.

"She. Is. NOT. A. WITCH!"

The sound was like breaking eggshells, crunching walnuts, snapping branches, a broken jaw.

The right hook came at his face like the hammer of Thor. And he fell like a sack of carrots.

"Ohmygod I did it. I did it! I did… owwww my hand is broken! Ow, ow, ow. Pain never felt so good…"

The exuberant red head bounced up and down in her excitement and pain.

Anna poked his face with her boot. He was out cold.

_Maybe I killed him?_

The snow gave way to a blizzard. Finally, the waters around the docks began to freeze with every snowflake hitting their surface.

_Right, escape! We were escaping! Just have to get this stupid rope off and jump into the boat!_

The small fishing boat was outfitted with a single small mast for catching the wind and a couple of basic oars. Anna managed to push the boat out into the fjord just as the water around them began to solidify. She wouldn't even begin to know how to work the mast or the sail so she just rowed with all her might, hoping the water would take them to safety.

* * *

In a small clearing in the middle of the forest there was a great big stump. Sitting on the stump was a little, blue amphibian staring wide eyed at the orator standing before him. Small arms waved in the air, short legs jumping with excitement, and wild, platinum hair bouncing up and down with glee. The pint-sized storyteller was regaling her audience with the account of her excursions.

"They were so BIG Bruni! And hairy, like _everywhere_! I wonder if I will get that big and hairy when I'm older. And they were all doing different things. Some of them were throwing dead fish at each other, some of them were carrying lots of wood for something, and everyone was giving everyone else these little coins."

As she recounted her tales another figure came through the forest to join the audience. It resembled a great stag but made entirely of wood and moss. It came up to the stump and gave the small girl a questioning gaze with it's glowing green eyes.

"Hello Eiki. I was just telling Bruni about what I saw outside. There are other people out there! Big ones!"

The forest guardian tosses its head in agitation.

"I know I'm not supposed to leave the forest. I'm sorry. But I wanted to know what was out there! I thought maybe I could find someone else to play with…"

A hoof of roots stomps the ground.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't do it again…"

The girl looks away, embarrassed, defeated, hands behind her back. Her small frame wrapped in billowy, white linen. The guardian was only protecting its charge. The forest was safe, protected. Out there were monsters. One of them being curiosity.

* * *

"Don't let it get away!"

"Hurry it's running into the forest!"

"We can't let it escape!"

"Faster men!"

Torches lit the night sky. Shouts, screams and bellows drowning out the sound of small feet shuffling through dried leaves and snow. Small lungs expanding and contracting, tightening the small chest. Tiny heart beating faster and faster as the breaths get shorter and shorter.

Flames soar through the air. A torch is thrown at the diminutive figure running through the snow. It catches the edge of the linen wrapped around her. She screams.

Instinctively she reaches her hands out to stop the flames. A cold blast emanates from her tiny hands and the fire is snuffed out with a pile of fresh snow.

Another torch flies. She holds her arms up to shield herself from the oncoming burns. The flame is extinguished against the small wall of ice lifting out of the ground before her. Confusion and fear playing across her face as she turns and keeps running, back to the protection of the forest.

"Burn it! Burn the witch!"

It was the first time she had heard those words. It would not be the last.

_I know this. The first time someone saw my curse. I snuck into Tronsvik again despite the forest's warnings. I was so young, so naïve. So stupid. I thought I could find something. What? Another child to play with? Another family to take me? The forest was my family. I was born of the forest. The eternal snow of the northern woods. I was just too damn curious!_

The snow haired girl ran into the fog surrounding the enchanted forest. The torches quickly came behind. They emerged on the other side to the sobs of a frightened girl.

"The witch thinks she can deceive us with this illusion! Don't waver men. This is no child. It's a monster."

_I am a curse, not meant to walk these lands. After what I did to those men that night… I should not be allowed to leave the forest._

Elsa watches as her younger self cowers in fear at the approaching men. Their fires getting ever closer. Closer to their impending fate.

Then she hears a faint voice on the wind.

" _No one took me! I ran away! What don't you get about that!?"_

_What was that?_

The wind through the forest became a gust of swirling reality. Elsa stood there looking at the little girl on the ground with trees, rocks, and snow dancing all around them. Everything became a whirlwind of chaos.

The men were still approaching. The oncoming frozen death had not happened. The men were not petrified in their tracks. Still closer they got to the crying girl.

_What's going on? This is not how it happened._

Elsa looked on, panicked as memory turned to fallacy, dream turned to nightmare. The thought of what could have, would have, _should have_ , was about to unfold in front of her eyes. She had killed those men. She had wished it never happened. Wished that they had stopped, that they didn't have to die, that maybe it was better if they had gotten to her…

Despite all of those wishes, that little girl inside of her still cried out. Small, cold fingers reaching for safety. The forest would no longer protect her. She could not, _would not_ , defend her. Yet deep down inside she cried out.

_Someone… stop them. Someone please, save her! She's just a girl! She's not cursed… She's not a…_

Then the voice on the wind returned, as if carried by Thor himself.

" _She. Is. NOT. A. WITCH!"_

* * *

Glacial eyes open to the wide-open sky. The sun is beginning its descent to give way to the night. Streams of green and blue dance across the heavens. Vibrant, cosmic rivers reflecting off of equally vibrant, cosmic irises.

Elsa takes in her surroundings.

_Where am I? I'm lying down. I can feel… a faint warmth. There is a fire next to me. I can hear the water, but I can't see it. The trees are sparse and there is snow on the ground. I think I'm lying in a pile of dead leaves and some kind of burlap sack is under my head. I can hear something shuffling around. Some kind of delirious animal stumbling around the camp._

"How am I supposed to cook this thing when I don't have a knife? Do I just… stick this stick in its mouth? That seems unsanitary. If I throw it in the fire how do I get it out? Hey, little guy, do you know how to cook a fish?"

The eyes in the fire wobble side to side.

She proceeds to spear two fish and holds one over the purple flames. Then she notices the second pair of eyes staring at her. She yelps in surprise dropping the fish into the flames almost landing on top of the little creature within.

"Aw shoot! I got it. It's still good. I think. You're awake!"

She runs over to Elsa, still lying on her back.

"Are you ok? How are you feeling? I'm so glad you're not dead! Do you have any idea how hard it is to help an injured you?! Not that I know much about helping injured people in general, but one of the things you would think an injured person would need is to not get cold. But you don't get cold! So, do I make a fire for you? Do I not? Will fire actually hurt you because you're snowy? And it was really hard to tell if you were still breathing. I had to get really, really close to your chest to tell if you were or not and believe me that was hard what with my own heart beating like a hyperactive… never mind! Why haven't you said anything yet?"

Anna's face was turning bright red at this point. The prone woman wondered if it was because she didn't inhale during all of her questions.

"Do you breathe when you talk?"

Anna's head tilts and she blinks in confusion. The fish was still in her hands.

"Huh? Oh, I was rambling. I'm sorry. I do that. I was just really worried about you!"

Elsa slowly sits up. She inspects her shoulder and finds no trace of the injury. She lifts her hand up to her torn tunic and it also heals itself. A glittering glow emanating from her hand to restore the weave of ice crystals that form her clothes. The blood stains down her sleeve and pant leg are similarly washed away by the magical fabric restoring itself to pristine order. Blue-green eyes watch in awe.

"Whoa! How did you do that?"

"My clothes are made from my powers. I can control every aspect of them."

"I wish I had that kind of power. Dresses would bend to my will!" Anna giggles and her mane of red hair bounces in response. Elsa follows every movement.

"You caught fish?" Elsa notices the fish still in Anna's hand.

"Yup! I will have you know that I am an expert fish woman. Fisher woman. Fisher? Well I'm not a fisher _man_ hehe." Anna has a confident grin on her face.

Elsa just looks at her with one raised eyebrow in doubt.

"Ok, ok. There was already fish in the boat that we stole. That doesn't change the fact that I got us fish. It's been hours since our whale blubber. I'm starving. Here!"

She hands Elsa the charred fish-on-a-stick. Elsa looks at it hesitantly, then looks at Anna grinning like a mad woman. She takes a small bite.

"Well? Is it good?"

"It's fish."

"Is it good fish?"

"It's slightly burned fish." Anna's grin fades slightly until Elsa gives her a quiet "Thank you…". She continues to eat it. Then the grin came back in full force.

Anna moves back toward the fire to begin working on the second fish. She holds it over the fire, carefully this time. She sits across from Elsa, the fire in between them.

"I didn't realize that your little friend came with us out of the forest. What was his name again? Burny?"

"Bruni."

With the flames able to sustain themselves, the fire salamander crawls out of the wood and climbs onto Elsa's shoulder and rubs its head against her cheek. She twirls her fingers over its nose letting small snowflakes fall into its mouth.

"That was it. It's a good thing cause heaven knows how I would have been able to make a fire on my own. Not that you needed the fire it seems, but I probably would have froze to death up here without it."

Anna begins to consume her own fish.

 _She takes such large bites. She's going to choke on the bones._ Anna starts coughing and pounding her chest.

"Who was that man?"

Anna lets out a groan with a mouth full of fish skin.

"Ugh. That was Kristoff. He's a hunter. The 'royal huntsman' to be precise. He was an orphan, raised by the ice harvesters."

"Ice harvesters?" Elsa asked with a sour look on her face as if she ate something putrid.

"Ya. They go out into the northern parts of the kingdom and cut up ice sheets on the fjords and bring the ice back down to the royal city in these big blocks. They like to sing about 'taming the ice' or whatever."

"For some reason, this notion unsettles me."

"Well that makes sense. Anyway, Kristoff also hunts when there's no ice. He quickly became known as the best hunter in the kingdom. Sold his kills directly to the castle. Mom quickly noticed and invited him to be her exclusive hunter."

Now it was Anna's turn to eat something sour and unappetizing. Her face scrunching up and mouth cringing at her next thought.

"The word among the servants is that he is a little bit more than just her royal hunter if you get my meaning. God, I could use a bucket to barf in. I tried to be friends with him once. It was kind of awkward considering… his arrangement with my mother. If she sent him after me that means she didn't bother with the normal search the kingdom routine. He tracked me down in a day. She's probably really pissed."

"And you're a princess?"

"Unfortunately."

Elsa took her gaze off the pouting redhead and focused on her half-eaten fish.

"And you ran away?"

Anna looked to her side, her face now on a full display of emotions ranging from anger to frustration.

"I didn't know what else to do! I was supposed to get married today. I've never even met the guy! Some prince from some nowhere place. Arranged to become king when my mother passes. It just all made me so sick! I couldn't give up my life like that. I guess I was hoping that mother would call off the wedding and she could let me choose who I wanted to marry. But I know it's a fairy tale. I am the _only_ princess of Arendelle which means whoever I marry automatically will become King which means I can't marry just anybody. Especially someone I would want…"

Elsa's gaze returned upon the girl across from her.

_A princess just like in the stories I read. Princesses never came to Tronsvik. I've never seen one before. Somehow, I imagined them to be… different._

"What about returning home?"

"I don't really want to go back right now. I mean, someday I will miss home, but I just broke mom's favorite boy toy! And I humiliated her in front of hordes of nobles that all came for the wedding. Not to mention I've insulted this little princeling and his little kingdom. The idea of facing all of that just makes me want to go aargghhh!"

"Then what will you do? You can't stay with me."

"Why not?"

_Her head is tilted again, looking at me with those wide eyes. She looks unsure, and also… hopeful? Pleading? She shouldn't stay with me. I am only going to stay in the wilds away from people. She clearly needs more in her life than a solitary hermit._

Elsa's stare moves onto the crackling fire sitting between the two women. She starts fidgeting with her fingers. When she doesn't respond Anna decides to press the matter.

"What are you gonna do? Are you going to try and go back to the enchanted forest?"

"No. I am not welcome there anymore. I will find myself a new home. Secluded and away from people. With my curse, I can't be around people. I was in the forest for a reason. To keep everyone else safe from me."

"But don't you want to see what's out there? Who's out there? Where out there is?"

"No. I have no interest in such things. I only want to be alone. I want people to leave me alone."

_She's looking at me again. Her eyes have narrowed, her grin has turned somewhat sinister. She resembles a fox. A red fox with a bushy tail swishing behind her posterior. I can see her ears on the top of her head._

The fox spoke.

"I don't _beliieeve_ _yoooouuuu_ " She practically sings the last two words.

"What do you mean you don't believe me? You don't know me."

The little fox's grin grows wider with her confidence.

"Ok, first, you saved me. Thank you again by the way."

"That doesn't mean anything. You were in trouble."

"Second, you say you want to be alone and you try to give the cold shoulder all you want, but you walk into that town like someone who goes there often. The way you act with that trader. I bet you know his name."

"Owain."

"And the way you walked into that tavern. Went right to a table and sat down and didn't even have to say anything to the innkeeper who I bet you also know the name of."

"Hilda."

"And the way that you watched every single person in that tavern. _You study people_. I can see it in your eyes. You think I was oblivious to everything around us in that town. Well you were right, but that's because I was so utterly focused on _you._ "

"That's ridiculous."

"And third, the way that you act. The way that you make your own clothes. You made an off the shoulder, long tunic that looks gorgeous. You carry yourself with an air of grace and sophistication. I bet you played princess when you were little in that forest."

Elsa's cheeks turned bright pink and her eyes grew wider at the thought.

"Fourth! You… bought… CHOCOLATE!"

Anna pulls out the bag that Elsa had bought her from the trader, Owain. She reaches into it and grabs a small bar wrapped in paper and string.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Do you have any idea how impossible it was for me not to eat this while you were sleeping!? I mean it would have been unbelievably rude of me and so I managed to hold myself back but anyway you like chocolate!"

Anna was practically bouncing up and down with the little satchel of tasty treats in her hands. Elsa was starting to look more and more defeated at the onslaught the redhead was putting her through.

"So, when we add all of these things up, I can't help but get the impression that you are anything but a secluded hermit in the woods. You… are… _curious_."

_I am curious…_

"You want to see what's out there just as much as a princess trapped in her castle her whole life. I wasn't allowed to leave the castle, but I snuck out anyway. I wasn't allowed to mingle with the people, but I watched them anyway. I recognized everything I did in watching you. We are kindred spirits! And I think we should stick together."

_How did I underestimate this girl? How could she see these things that I try so hard to lock away? Why does she do this to me? Ever since I first laid eyes on her I can't stop this feeling that I want to be around her. She calls to that part of me that wants nothing more than to go into the unknown. That damn curiosity._

Anna stands up. She begins to walk around the fire to where Elsa is still sitting. She kneels down and begins to open the package of chocolate. She hands it to Elsa. Elsa looks at the bar in her hands. Dark chocolate. Simple, rustic. She breaks off a piece at the corner. Holds it in her fingers. Instead of placing it in between her lips, she hands it to the still beaming red head in front of her. Anna looks at the piece and then looks up into Elsa's eyes. Elsa gives a faint smirk.

"Kindred spirits…"

Anna takes the piece from Elsa's fingers and immediately throws it in her mouth. Elsa lets out a tiny chuckle into the back of her raised hand. She takes her own piece of chocolate into her mouth. They sat there; words no longer needed in this heavenly realm that was chocolate.

* * *

_This is absolute heaven. Chocolate has never tasted so good. The piece she gave me was cool from her touch. I want to just take those delicate yet powerful fingers and lick them clean… no, stop, stop, stop! Bad Anna! Focus on the moment. She's just sitting there. Eating chocolate. The fire is reflecting off of her dress. It's dazzling. Sparks of red and purple reflecting off of the glittering white ice fabric. Flashes of the indigo flames in her azure eyes. Her loose hair draped over her shoulders like waves of snow. Wait, are those…ohmygod they are!_

"You have freckles!"

Elsa looks up from her chocolaty reprieve and stars at Anna in confused surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"You have freckles! Just like me! Well not _just_ like me. Yours are very faint and only across your nose. Not like mine which are loud and everywhere. I mean _everywhere_. I was always self-conscious of off shoulder dresses like yours because of my freckles."

"You shouldn't feel self-conscious about them. I like your freckles. They are very… you."

She turns to look away. Her cheeks turning pinker than they had all night.

_That was the warmest thing she's said to me so far. And she likes my freckles! I could die. Snap out of it, Anna. Don't make her think you're a creeper._

"So, what's the plan then?"

Elsa looks worried. Her brows knitted together. She bites her lower lip in nervous thought.

"I'm not sure… Everything is just so unknown to us. How do we know where to start?"

She looks back in the direction of the bouncing redhead who had gotten up and went to fetch something. Her back was turned to Elsa, bent over to pick up something off the ground. She returned with a satchel, a different bag than the one Elsa had bought.

"After I knocked Kristoff into next week, which was awesome by the way. You should have seen it."

"I'm sorry I missed it."

"I stole his bag! Let's see what's inside."

"You steal a lot for a princess."

"That's not fair. Desperate times you know. And anyway, he's a royal servant technically. I'm allowed to take his stuff."

"I'm surprised the servants haven't mounted a rebellion against you."

"I'm sure they're planning it. What with scaring people from inside suits of display armor, trying to scale the castle walls, and failing miserably, running through the halls trying to escape that awful dress maker and her fittings."

Elsa raises both eyebrows at the mischievous girl.

"What? It was sooooooo boooorring. I had to find something to do other than talk to Joan. She's a painting."

"A painting?"

"Yup! So, in this bag we had a bunch of carrots. I threw those into the sea because his reindeer, Sven, would probably be able to sniff them out for miles. We have some rope and climbing gear. Geez was he expecting to scale a mountain to find me? Some little black rocks for some reason."

"Flint. That's how you would have made fire without Bruni."

"Ya right. Like I know how to start a fire with a rock. Here we are! I thought I saw it in there earlier."

She pulls out a rolled-up piece of fabric. Unfurls it to show a map of Arendelle as well as the surrounding lands and kingdoms. Anna could now see just how far Tronsvik was from Arendelle. A whole day's ride, non-stop had taken her far, far to the north along the coast of the North Sea. Tronsvik sat on the southern edge of a fjord that continued further inland and splintered off into endless inlets of rivers. The northern end of the fjord, opposite Tronsvik, was another land mass.

"I'll be totally honest with you. I'm kind of bad at directions. I'm not sure which way we ended up or how far we went while you were sleeping. I basically just got off the boat when it hit land on its own."

Elsa studies the map. Staring in concentration and thought.

"We won't be able to get our bearings until daylight. You should get some sleep. I have rested enough. I will keep watch in case he somehow manages to find us again."

"Ok. Good plan. I'll just try to catch some shut eye…"

And with that she was out cold. Snoring and dreaming of snow-covered chocolate.

* * *

_She's so calm. So peaceful seeming. How can she be so relaxed in this situation? We are both lost in the woods. Neither of us have been far from our homes. Yet she seems so sure of herself despite not knowing where we are. She looks uncomfortable. I should place that burlap pillow under her head. I would fill it with fresh snow for softness but that would be too cold for her. Ill wrap some dried leaves instead._

"Bruni. Jump into this pile of leaves but don't light them on fire. Just lightly warm them ok?"

The amphibian looks at her, sticks his tongue out. Licks his eyeball. And jumps into the leaves. Elsa places the burlap with some of the warmed leaves under Annas head, gently lifting her red locks up and tucking them behind her neck over the makeshift pillow. She puts the dark cloak that she was wearing over the top of the sleeping Anna, then gathers more of the leaves to cover her like a blanket. She picks Bruni up and places him on top.

"Keep her warm for me, will you?"

_This girl is a very heavy sleeper._

* * *

Anna awakens the next morning, more comfortable than she expected.

Elsa was off catching fresh fish for their breakfast and getting their bearings. She launched herself into the air and perched on top of a tall tree to take in their surroundings. Confident in her reconnaissance, she promptly returned to an awake Anna.

"I believe we sailed even more northward. Tronsvik is not in view so we went quite a distance. We seemed to have hit the end of this inlet from the fjord, so the boat is no longer necessary. We should continue inland and turn east…what are you doing?"

Practiced and dexterous fingers wove through fiery strands as if casting a magical spell. Her once wild ginger mane was being pulled, twisted, smoothed, and weaved in on itself. Fingers moving so expertly, with such intent and in ways Elsa had never seen before. The strands of white were being twisted around the crimson cords causing Elsa to catch her breath for some reason. When those fingers were done weaving their magic, Anna looked at herself satisfied as two long ropes of hair lay over her shoulders down past her chest.

Elsa could not help but be transfixed by the transformation or the shape that they made or the way they rested on her surprisingly form fitted winter jacket.

"Braiding my hair. What's it look like? Makes it easier for the adventuring! Wait… have you never braided your hair before?"

Elsa shakes her head side to side, words somehow failing her.

"Oh. My. God. But your hair is so gorgeous! Do you want me to do it for you and then I can teach you?"

Again, words seemed exceedingly difficult for the ice queen all of a sudden. The thought of those fingers working their magic into her own hair caused an unsettling stir inside her. She nodded her head slowly.

Anna's face was shining brighter than the morning sun. She beckoned Elsa to come over and sit in front of her. Elsa hesitantly obliged, kneeling on the ground, her bare feet tucked underneath her. Her hands clasped together on top of her lap. Her posture was stiff and nervous at this new experience about to unfold. Anna straddles up behind her back to get in a comfortable position. Then the magic started to happen.

_Oh… oohhhh… whaaatt is happening. What is this sensation? These fingers running through my hair with such confidence and fooorrce. Rubbing against my scalp. I've never… No one has ever… I can't think…_

Elsa closes her eyes from the newfound ecstasy that was human contact. Anna wove her fingers through the snowy fibers. Took locks in her left hand and used her other hand to delicately weave them through each other. Elsa's awareness of time was long gone. She could feel the hands brush against her bare shoulders. The warmth causing her to shudder. Her breathing starts to get more labored.

_Oh god, don't stop. Whatever this is don't stop._

Anna stopped. She walked over in front of Elsa to inspect her handiwork. Elsa opened her eyes. They stare, wider than the ocean, at the twin braids hanging down around her breasts. She picks them up in each of her hands and almost plays with them like a cat. Inspecting this new form her hair has taken with wonder.

Anna looks less than satisfied.

"Hmmm…. Now you look adorable there's no denying that. But something doesn't feel right. I think twin braids like mine don't quite suit you. Your hair is longer than mine a little bit, and smoother; more voluminous. And your bangs are definitely longer than mine. Too long to be comfortable, they are practically covering your face, but not long enough to put into the braids."

She puts one of those magic fingers to her face, nestled against her lips in thought.

"Hmmm… Here I have an idea."

_Oh god she's coming back. I can't take much more of… aaaahhh_

A small, high pitched squeal escapes her as she bites down on her lower lip, eyes again shut with euphoria.

This time Anna has the bulk of her hair in her hands. She's running her delicate fingers through the thick column of snowy white hair brushing out the braids she made before. Now she takes bigger grasps, fingers holding on tightly to thicker strands, weaving a more intricate spell, penetrating deep into Elsa's physical awareness.

One pale hand was clutched against her tightening chest while the other raised up into her own hair. Without thinking she brushes the bangs away from her face. A soft blue glow emanated from her palm unknowingly molding her tresses in place on top and around her head as she strokes her own hair with her own magic.

Then she feels the weight of one long braid being draped over her left shoulder. She slowly opens her eyes, panting, trying to catch her breath. She sees Anna back in front of her with her thumbs and index fingers pointed together to form a small window to look into Elsa's soul.

"Yes, this is it! Definitely French braid for you. That was certainly the most… unique hair braiding experience I've ever had. And great idea with your bangs! I would never have thought to freeze them in place like that. You look absolutely perfect! Not that you didn't look perfect before, but now you look a different and equal amount of perfect."

Elsa stood up. She twirled the end of her new braid in her fingers. A wide smile appearing on her lips. She lets out another soft "thank you" as she admired what Anna had done to her.

"So, you were saying something about heading east?"

"Hmm?"

Her voice is soft and dream-like. As if in a trance.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Which way should we go?"

"Go where?"

"Elsa!"

Knocked out of her daydream Elsa recovers her composure and the steel returns to her eyes.

"Yes. We head east. I thought I saw a break in the tree line which could mean some kind of road or path. I didn't see any settlements or smoke but if we find that road it should take us to another village."

"This map doesn't go this far north. Tronsvik seems to be the edge and we've already gone far past it. Would there be another settlement up here?"

"I don't know but there's only one way to find out."

After they ate their breakfast, which Elsa cooked this time, the newly braided woman begins breaking down the camp. Covering signs of their presence in case of any followers. Smothering the fire, dragging the fishing boat up onto the land and covering it in snow.

Anna gathers any supplies they could salvage into her bag. The map, the rope, not the climbing hook because it was "too heavy and not necessary", she said. The flint, "I'll figure out how to use it eventually". And the chocolate, re-wrapped in its paper. "Who knows when the next time we find chocolate will be." So, they decided to ration.

Elsa dawns her dark cloak wrapping it around her snowy garments, leaving the hood down for now.

 _No need to cover my new braid just yet._ She thinks to herself as she holds the cloak tight around her. _For some reason, this cloak feels warmer than before. More cozy._

Anna fastens the gloves on her hands and her own cloak over her shoulders. Twin crimson braids swinging in their excitement at the journey ahead. She skips over next to the taller woman, blue salamander sitting on Elsa's shoulder. She looks up at her, still admiring her craftsmanship at the French braid. Elsa turns to look back with those steely eyes. She gives Anna a sly smirk before they head off into the unknown,

together.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ends the prolog or 'pilot episode' if you will. I'm just getting started with this story. I hope some of you come along for the ride. From here on out I plan on beginning my introduction of other Disney elements to hopefully weave a cohesive "Disney World", pardon the pun. I am kind of structuring the story like a TV show with arcs and some random stories and a main through-line plot.
> 
> I don't want to give any allusions about what this story is going to be. I want it to be fairly lighthearted but with some darker parts. Really focusing on the fun of the adventure and the romance that ensues as a result. I do intend on getting into some campy territory. I like camp, I really want to see these two in some pretty ridiculous situations. Elsa almost having an orgasm at her hair being braided as a light example.
> 
> First and foremost, the focus is on Elsanna because that's why we are all here.
> 
> If you enjoyed this story and want to be a part of the community, join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at /TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL) or search for the Elsanna Shenanigans tumblr for a link.


	2. Episode 1: Isskjoldr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna begin their journey in the north where they come across a vast mountain range with peculiar inhabitants.

"Hey Elsa, what's your favorite color?"

"Why?"

"Wow. I was not expecting that answer. I'm curious! I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"I'm going to guess that yours is green."

"Psh. No. It's pine."

"Pine is a tree. Not a color."

"It can be both. I also like emerald, and daffodil, and I like orange. Orange goes well with greens. That's why I like wearing green! But I'm not opposed to other colors. Orange also goes great with blue! And black goes with everything obviously. I don't know if I would wear an orange dress… that seems like it would be too much orange."

_We've been walking for miles it feels like. It's probably only been a few hours. I am so out of shape. Do princesses ever get in shape? Other than the shape of a corset. Yuck. It's a good thing she found this road. My feet are killing me. It would be funny, and also sad, if this road just went straight back to Tronsvik and Kristoff was there waiting with his arms crossed and that 'I don't care about anything' look on his face. She says we are going east so that's good enough for me._

_I don't think she's going to tell me her favorite color._

The two women walked side by side down the dirt path they had found through the trees. The path was only wide enough for a single cart. A full-sized wagon would have a hard time making it through. It was rough and unkempt. The dirt was packed down from age but not from use. No fresh wheel marks or animal manure covered the road.

They were still in a sparsely wooded forest, but it was beginning to give way to hills and mountain ranges. The fjord was long behind them. If Elsa had to guess, this road was probably a fisherman's path that led to the fjord from some settlement in the mountains.

They could see the looming, snow capped mountain tops ahead of them. The range seemed to extend across the entire horizon.

"Hey Elsa?"

"What?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You've been asking me things all morning."

"You grew up in that forest, right? So, what was that thing chasing us exactly?"

Elsa came to a cold stop. She looked straight ahead, but her eyes were someplace else. She let out a heavy sigh at the thought of her former home.

"That was the guardian. He watched over the forest, and he watched over me my whole life. Keeping me safe, but also… keeping others safe from me."

"Then why did he banish you? Do you think he would let you back in someday?"

"I don't… I don't know. You didn't seem like a threat to me. I thought the forest would tolerate you. Maybe even accept you. But it didn't. And I chose to protect you instead of protecting the forest. It doesn't matter right now anyway. Like you said for yourself, maybe one day I'll go back, but right now I want to see what's in front of me."

Elsa's dower mood lifted a bit. She resumed her trek along the dirt road, left hand still fiddling with her braid. Anna thought it best to change the subject.

"My feet are killing me! How do you walk barefoot everywhere? Does it not hurt?"

"My powers form a protective layer under my soles to keep from any injury. I like being barefoot. It is easier to channel my powers through my skin. That's also why I make my own clothes. It feels more comfortable, more natural."

_It's like she's naked with only her powers covering her…_

Anna tripped over her own daydream.

"Are you alright?"

"Yup! Just wasn't watching where I was going." _Eyes in front Anna! Stop drooling._

"My friend, Rapunzel, also walks barefoot everywhere, much to her parents' disdain. She doesn't have protective foot powers though. Her feet are probably really dirty."

"She is also a princess?"

"Ya. Princess of Corona. It's south of Arendelle. Nice, sunny place I hear. I could never leave Arendelle, but Punzie was able to travel to me."

"Punzie is a stupid nickname."

"Wow. Rude much. You try coming up with a good nickname for 'Rapunzel'. It's not that easy. Her lady-in-waiting calls her 'Raps', but that is so not cute."

"What is a 'lady-in-waiting'?"

"Um. Like a personal maid, I guess? I hear she is also Punzie's secret bodyguard. I don't have one because I'm never allowed outside the castle and there's a whole staff of lady's maids that attend to me. So, I'm not sure what Cass does. She's very serious. You guys might get along."

Further up the road, Anna spied a small figure walking in the same direction as them.

"Hey look! It looks like a child. I don't see their parents around. Hopefully, that means we are close to a village and they aren't lost like we are. I'll go run up and ask them."

"Anna wait… be careful!"

The bouncing redhead skipped down the road with a smile on her face hoping not to startle the child. The child looks to be wearing a simple shirt and pants with a cloth cap on their head. Anna comes up behind the child and puts on a soft, reassuring voice.

"Hey there, little fella! Where are your parents?"

The child turned to look at the oncoming freckles, and the site that greeted her nearly knocked her on her backside. A deep, gravelly voice hoarsed out the words "Who you callin' little fella, toots."

"Oh dear god in heaven!"

Sunken eyes, aged wrinkles, balding head, a great big nose like a potato, and a billowy white beard stared up at the shocked woman from a height that would not even reach her waist.

"What? You ain't never seen a dwarf before?"

Anna tried her best to get her heart rate calmed down, hand clutching at her chest from the shock of seeing such a small, old man.

"A dwarf…? No, I can't say that I have! I thought you were all myth?"

The dwarf rolled his eyes.

"Meh. That's just cause you lot in your castles don't bother trading with us anymore. Bunch of bigots the lot of ya!"

"I'm no bigot sir! I'm fascinated! Are there more of you? Where did you come from? Who do you trade with if the other kingdoms don't anymore?"

"Lady you are a talker aren't ya."

Elsa strolled up next to Anna to inspect the small man for herself.

"Oh great. There's more of you. Leave me alone will ya? I've got work to do."

Anna would not leave her prey alone. Eyes practically bugging out of her head.

 _Ohmygod a dwarf! Who woulda thought that they were real?! I guess it makes sense they would live way up here in the north in these giant mountains. I want to know_ everything _! Look at Elsa, studying him with that cool stare. It doesn't look like she's ever seen a dwarf either even though she's a magical being herself. That was kind of a bigoted thought. Shame on me._

"What kind of work? Where are you going?"

"Eee gads woman, stop your yapping will ya! Go up to Kaupstaur and ask some other pitiful dwarf to give you a cultural exchange!"

The dwarf turned his back on the two women and started walking away in a huff.

"What's a Kaupstaur?" Anna asked after the diminutive man.

"Ugh! It's a trading post! Up this road. You can't miss it. It's the only surface settlement we have. Now, if you'll excuse me!"

Anna wrinkled her nose at the dwarf getting smaller and smaller as he walked away.

"What a rude little man. This trading settlement sounds exciting though! Hopefully, we can find a more detailed map, and some food, and some nice, soft, warm beds!"

"I've never slept in a bed I didn't make myself before."

"New experiences Els, new experiences! Let's go!"

The two women pick up their pace. Their strides quickly overtake the dwarf they had met. Anna turned back to give him a little wave. He did not return the gesture.

* * *

It doesn't take long for them to see it.

The small road led to the base of a mountain. A massive chasm was hewn out of the bottom of the mountain resembling a tree partially chopped by a woodcutter's axe. The chasm stretched for miles across. It was lit with the torches and fires of civilization. The mountain looked as if it had a great big glowing mouth with teeth of stone pillars carved out of the rock.

The dirt path gave way to a stone masonry patchwork of roads splitting into a network through the chasm. Overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the dwarven city before them, Anna and Elsa walked down the middle road into the great maw. The city was sprawling, but it was also empty. There were pockets of dwarves here and there. Anna stopped to ask one for directions.

"Excuse me? We're new here! This place is amazing! Where is the market?"

Little eyes looked up at her from the bottom of the shiny bald head. He had a grey shirt and looked somewhat embarrassed to be spoken to.

"Aw well you see; the whole place is a market. What are you looking to buy if I may ask? You don't have to tell me, but it would make it easier to point you in the right direction."

"Well we are looking for a map and traveling supplies. Maybe some new boots?"

"Anna, you don't need new boots. Those are new boots."

"They're a little big. Not that I'm complaining! You did buy them for me after all." She gave Elsa a coy grin.

The dwarf looked away in thought.

"Hmmm… Those are all miscellaneous items. They would be in the junk quarter."

"The junk quarter? Clothes and essential supplies are in the junk markets?" Anna asked with a tinge of defensiveness she felt for the poor clothes.

"Well you see ma'am, you said you were new here right? I suspect you're new to dwarves. We don't much care about things like clothes and we don't get much use out of maps. We don't ever leave the mountains these days."

Anna listened intently at the cultural lesson while Elsa continued to study their surroundings. Taking note of the branching roads, some leading out to the wings of the chasm and some leading deeper inside. They seemed to be at a directional junction.

"Kaupstaur's markets are organized into quarters. You have the smithing quarter. If you need armor, or weapons that's where you go. The masonry quarter for your stone working needs. The largest quarter, straight down the middle there is the gem quarter. We dwarves mostly deal in precious gems, jewels, stones, and the like. Everything else is sold in the junk quarter. It's right down the south eastern road."

"Fascinating. Thanks for all your help!"

"Aw shucks ma'am. No need to thank me. Happy to help."

_This one is so pleasant! Not like that first one we met. Now to the junk quarter I suppose._

Elsa was already walking down the south eastern road.

"Elsa! Wait up!"

It took the pair longer than they expected to get to the markets. Kaupstaur was indeed an expansive city. For people so small they certainly built big. They made their way through a small archway, they both had to dip their heads underneath, and found themselves in a series of haphazardly organized market stalls. Somewhat resembling the stalls by the docks at Tronsvik, but miniature. They looked to be loosely thrown together wooden tables and awnings with various signs denoting what was being sold.

Most of the items for sale seemed to be leather goods. Practical clothing. Nothing even remotely in Anna's size. It appeared that humans had not come here to trade in an exceedingly long time. The two women were getting stares all around them but not the fearful gazes Elsa was used to. This was more of a surprised and confused 'what are these people doing here?' stare.

A particularly large, and relatively busy, section of the market was devoted to woodworking. Mostly musical instruments it seemed. Very elaborate collection of string and woodwind instruments. There was also a very elaborate market stall stretching along a length of stone wall with ornate designs carved into the wooden table. Against the stone wall, behind the table, was an array of seemingly endless cuckoo clocks. Each one unique.

"OOO Elsa! Let's buy a clock!"

"What are we going to do with a clock?"

"I don't know but look at them all! They are so pretty, and unique! Who knows when the next time we will be back here is?"

"Are you going to carry a giant clock everywhere we go?"

"Ok, fine. I suppose it's not practical. They just look so cute!"

Elsa rolled her eyes and continued her search as the red head continued to inspect every single clock hanging on the wall. She managed to find a stall selling books. She scanned the contents noticing that dwarves seemed to write in old Norse runes. She gently picked up one old and dusty tome titled " _Nilfheim – Land of Ice and Mist_ ". She quickly scanned its pages. The thought of an entire realm of ice and snow seemed appealing. She returned the book just as the energetic one bounced her way next to her.

"You found books! Did he have any maps?"

Elsa just shook her head and continued walking.

After a few more minutes of futile searching they finally came upon a stall selling rolled up cloth and parchment. A dwarf with a beard almost reaching the floor but otherwise dressed similarly to all the others they had seen so far was sitting on a little stool with his feet perched up onto his table. Anna bent down to inspect the rolled-up articles while Elsa inspected the ones hanging from the banner. They were indeed maps.

Anna unfurled one and darted her eyes across its surface.

"I don't really recognize what I'm looking at. I don't see any bodies of water or kingdoms."

The lounging dwarf, without looking up, educated them. "That's because it's a map of Svartalfheim."

"A Snartlewhatnow?"

The dwarf rolled his eyes and looked up at the women.

"The dwarven realm. Under the mountains!"

"Wow. All of this is _under_ the mountains?"

"Yes. And this ain't a library. You want to see the maps you gotta buy 'em."

"Do you have any maps of the surface?" Elsa asked. "We want to make our way south. Do you have anything that will help us cross the mountains?"

"Heh, you don't cross the mountains. You go under them. From Kaupstaur, your only options are to either go back the way you came, wherever that was, or you go into Svartalfheim. Then you come out the other side on the south end of the range if that's where you're planning to go."

Anna continued, "So we need a map of Smartelfhem if we want to not get lost in the dwarven tunnels. How much is this map?"

The dwarf eyed her questioningly. Looking up and down in a rather unpleasant manner, but not in the way she was thinking. Still it made the hair on her neck stand.

"What ya got sister?"

"Uh… I have silver?"

The dwarf nearly fell off his stool in laughter.

"Silver?! HA! Let's see… the price of the map… converted into silver… would cost you about…" he has his hand on his chin while he does the mental calculations "thirty pounds."

"Thirty _pounds_?! Who carries thirty pounds worth of silver on them?"

"Exactly! Silver is dirt. You're in dwarf territory lady. We deal in the real stuff. Come back when you have some actual money."

The women turn their back to the little trader to confer in whispers.

"Elsa, what do we do? I only have silver, and honestly it's a good amount for back home."

Elsa's brow was furrowed in thought.

_She looks cute when she's concentrating._

"Anna, let me try. I was raised in a trading town."

"Oh, that is a good point! Ok, you go get him."

They turned back to the map stall. Elsa slowly returned to the dwarf who was back sitting on his stool while Anna stayed behind to watch Elsa's trade dealing prowess. The dwarf looked back up at the blonde woman.

"So, did you come back with some hard currency, or do you just like to take up space?"

Elsa looked down at the little man. Her cold stare boring into his beady, little eyes. Without any warning, and with speed and ferocity that caught Anna completely by surprise, Elsa grabs the dwarf, clutching his shirt through his beard with one hand, and lifts him up to her face to stare eye to eye, more than twice his height in the air.

Anna looked horrified.

"Ohmygod…"

"Now, you listen to me, pipsqueak. I want to buy that map. I have silver. I have a lot of silver for where I'm from. So, are we going to cut a deal, or do we need to take this outside?"

The suspended dwarf starts flailing his arms and legs around.

"Unhand me you Jotun she-devil!"

"What did you call me?"

Anna came running up to them. She fixed Elsa with a stern gaze and said "Elsa! Put down that nice man right now!"

Without a word Elsa looked at Anna with that dead stare and dropped the dwarf on the floor. He yelped and rubbed his injured behind.

"Keep that crazy woman away from me!"

Anna quickly turned Elsa away from the angry dwarf as Elsa continued to fix him with an icy stare.

"Elsa, I think maybe Tronsvik trading practices aren't quite the right strategy for this place."

Elsa's brow was now furrowed in confusion.

"I was sure that would work. That is how the traders discuss disputes in prices. They argue, they yell, someone eventually lowers their price or increases their offer. It is like a fight for dominance."

_She's also cute when she's confused…_

"Well clearly these dwarves have different methods so let's re-strategize. We need more money. Or a different kind of money. Tell me, how _did_ you make money in Tronsvik if you didn't do the… you know… _other thing._ "

"I sold juniper berries."

_That explains her scent that I can't get out of my nose._

"I would pick them in the forest and trade them to Owain. Around Tronsvik, they only grew in the enchanted forest, so he gave me a good price for them."

"Hmmm… that doesn't really help us here. I don't think the dwarves care much for berries. Let's go back to that nice one and ask him."

* * *

After leaving the junk quarter, they quickly found their way back to the central square where the road split off into the rest of the city. The bashful dwarf was still there, talking to another who seemed to be suffering from some kind of illness. A well-worn handkerchief in his hand.

"Hi again!" Anna beamed at him.

"Oh, hello again miss! Did you find what you were looking for? I hope I was helpful." He clasped his hands behind his back looking slightly worried that he was not, actually, helpful."

"Yes, we found it. You were a great help! But we ran into a problem. You see, we only have silver coins on us, and it seems they aren't worth very much here."

The other dwarf looked up at them in surprise.

"You only brough silver to a dwarven city? I guess menskr really don't… really don't…"

He takes in a large breath and then… *ACHOO*

"I'm sorry. Hay fever. They really don't know about dwarves anymore."

The bashful one continued. "You don't have any other form of currency? Not even gold? Gold isn't worth much more than silver, but some dwarves will work with it."

"Unfortunately, all we have is silver. Silver is the most common coin we use in Arendelle. Do you know how we might make money? Again, we are new here. We aren't quite sure what our options are."

The bashful dwarf thought for a moment longer. Then an idea struck his bald head. "I think you should speak with the lady."

"Oh yes! Speak with the lady! She will help you."

Anna's head tilted as she said, "the lady?"

Together, both dwarves responded, "Lady Snow!"

Anna nudged Elsa's shoulder and snickered.

"Lady Snow? Elsa, you didn't tell me you had a sister."

Without a hint of emotion in her ice sculpture features, Elsa looked at the snickering fox and said an emphatic "I don't."

The two dwarves beckoned them to follow down the central path toward the gem quarter.

"By the way, my name is Anna! This is Elsa. What are your names?"

"Sjenert" said the bashful one. "This is Nyse. Pleasure to meet you both." He gave a shy little curtsy. The other just nodded his head, holding back another sneeze.

* * *

They made their way into the gem quarter and Elsa could now see just why their silver was worth as much as dirt.

The gem quarter was the true heart of the city. They were deeper into the chasm now. The ceiling of the mountain was high overhead. Gone were the ramshackle wooden stalls and haphazard organization. The gem quarter was arrayed in an intricate web of stone masonry storefronts. There were more dwarves bustling through the intricately lined stonework streets.

The entire quarter glittered in brilliant hues. Light from the multitude of torches and lamps that lined the streets and storefronts reflected off of the infinite number of jewels and gemstones that were present nearly everywhere they stepped. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, and many, many more that even Anna had never heard of. There were multi-storied shops, tracks of mine carts weaving through carved tunnels that appeared to be more for transportation than mining, and dazzling displays of artwork made entirely of precious stones.

Both women stood there, dazzled by the site.

"Whoa…" they said in unison.

_I've never seen anything like this. Occasionally some nobles would trade in gems in Tronsvik, but it was rare. These dwarves are practically swimming in diamonds…_

The dwarves led the two, bewildered figures to an unassuming and homely looking building nestled off to the side of the bustling central gem markets. A sign hung outside, over the doorway.

"The sign is in a different language. I wonder what it says?" Anna asked.

"The Poison Apple" Elsa responded.

"You can read that?"

"I can read a little bit of the old Norsr alphabet."

"That's surprising. Not that I think you can't read! I mean you were raised in a forest, but that doesn't mean I thought… it's just… who reads those old runes nowadays you know?" She tried to play off the awkwardness with a laugh.

"I like to read." Elsa didn't seem to react to the near miss insult.

"Does this Lady Snow make poisons? I wonder if she's some kind of alchemist."

"It sounds like there is music coming from inside. What kind of apothecary plays music?" Elsa pondered aloud.

They enter the miniature building, ducking their heads into the doorway. Once inside, they were faced with an onslaught of sensations.

They were hit with a raucous cacophony of music, shouting, and singing. Dwarves seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the building. Sitting on stools, on top of tables, hanging in the rafters, and dancing wherever there was space. Some had pipes, some had flutes, some had fiddles, one had a swanette, and then one sat on an elaborate wooden organ. Everything was intricately carved to resemble animals or mythical creatures or even scenery.

The space around the door was a gathering place for pickaxes, hammers, chisels, and the like, as well as cloaks, caps, muddy boots, aprons, and various other work materials. Everything was thrown in a pile on either side of the door. The girls wondered how long it took them to sort out what belonged to who.

To their left was a series of long tables. Each one could sit ten dwarves on either side although most of the dwarves seemed to be on top of the tables. In front of them, and beyond the tables, was a wide-open space where the music and dancing were concentrated. The door led into a walkway that went straight to the dance hall.

To their right was the bar. A massive oak structure that was covered in carvings of forest animals. On the wall behind was an extravagant display of bierkrüge. Elaborately designed mugs for alcohol, each one unique much like the cuckoo clocks. Another section of the wall was devoted to an impressive assortment of barrels, nested on their sides in a stacked lattice, all fixed with taps.

_This is not an apothecary. It's a tavern. But there is more life in here than I've ever seen in The Frozen Heart._

A rather clumsy looking dwarf managed to hoist a fresh barrel into an empty spot at the top of the lattice and pounded a worn tap into it.

"Thank you Morsom, you're such a dear."

Anna nudged Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa look. Another human! That must be Lady Snow. Holy cow I think her skin is paler than yours!"

"Don't be rude Anna." Elsa started to walk forward, and straight into a rafter. "Ow…"

"Whoa, you ok there miss Jotun?" She let out a satisfied giggle.

"You're lucky you're short," Elsa said as she rubbed the corner of her forehead.

"I'm not _that_ much shorter than you. I bet if I wore high enough heels, we would be the same height. So long as you stay barefoot."

They walked over to the bar, stepping over fallen dwarves in their stupor. Luckily for the women the bar was made in human proportions. The dwarves seemed to have no trouble getting onto the high stools. Most seemed to just prefer to sit on the bar itself. They found some empty seats by the far corner near the music.

The two dwarves that escorted them rose up to the bar and waved down the matron. She promptly came over, full krüge in hand. She had on simple clothes. A long yellow skirt covered by an apron tied around her waist. A blue bodice wrapped around a simple, low cut, white blouse with puffy, ruffled shoulders.

Anna's eyes couldn't help but drift south of the pale neckline. Such a display was not a common occurrence in Arendelle.

"Why hello Sjenert. And a hello to you Nyse! I see you have brought me two new guests!"

The little dwarf's face turned unbelievably red at the greeting.

"Aw shucks, Lady Snow. This is… I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing. What are your names again?"

Anna gave him a warm smile and then turned back to the raven-haired woman behind the bar.

"Hi! My name is Anna! This is Elsa. We are new here and we were hoping, oh what's this?"

Snow had placed two plates of food along with the krüge on the bar in front of them.

"Mutton schnitzel with spaetzle, potato salad and my special gravy."

"Wow, this looks delicious!" Anna immediately grabs the fork and starts cutting a piece when Elsa stops her; placing a cool hand on Anna's causing a shiver to run up her arm.

She fixed Snow with a questioning stare and said "I apologize, but we don't really have money. We can't pay for this food unless you take silver."

Snow returned the doubtful gaze with her own warm, reassuring one. Hazelnut eyes and bright red lips in a display of kindness Elsa was not accustomed to seeing.

"Oh, don't you worry about that dear! This is on the house. It's not every day I get visitors from the surface. Especially women! And you poor girls look famished."

Still with a dubious look on her face, Elsa said a hesitant "thank you Lady Snow" while Anna shoved a giant piece of schnitzel in her mouth.

"Oh please, just call me Snow. Now tell me, what brings you girls to Kaupstaur? If you only have silver, that tells me you didn't come here to trade. You wouldn't happen to be lost by any chance, would you?"

"May I have an empty cup please?" Elsa asked.

"Certainly dear. Here you go."

"Thank you." Without thinking, Elsa waved her hand over the cup to fill it with melting snow. The matron looked at her with newly raised eyebrows but still a warm smile on her face.

"Now dear, I would be careful about that if I were you. Dwarves are no strangers to magic, but _women_ who practice magic tend to put them a little bit on edge."

Elsa's heart stopped for a beat. A flash of terror across her face. Snow gave her an even bigger comforting smile.

_Idiot! You are not in Tronsvik, no one here knows your curse or knows to fear it. Be more careful!_

"Don't worry dearie. I have known a witch or two in my time, and I can tell that you are a kind soul. You are safe here."

Elsa's voice was low, almost mumbling. "Thank you… I'm… not used to being away from home."

"Aw, poor girl. Don't worry, tante Snow is here to help."

Elsa gave her a shy smile, unsure how to react to such kindness from a stranger. She was so put out of sorts that she had not noticed Anna was no longer by her side.

"Tell me what you need dear."

"Well, we want to travel south, but it appears that these mountains block our path. We were told that you can't cross them, only go under them through the dwarven caves. So, we thought that we would need a map to guide us through the tunnels. That's when we discovered that silver doesn't get us very far here."

Snow nodded her head, her elbows perched on top of the bar with her hands under her chin listening intently.

"Yes, dwarves spend all their days doing nothing but making money so prices are a little inflated here. Also, you would need to pay the toll just to enter the gates into Svartalfheim."

"I was afraid of that. What do you suggest?"

"Hmmm… well if you don't have anything to trade, then maybe there is some kind of service you girls could provide that would make you some gems or barter passage into the mountains."

"I don't really like the sound of that…"

"Oh, no dear! I know what you're thinking and don't even fret about _that_. Dwarves have no need of such things. I was thinking more along the lines of something you could make, or some kind of errands or odd jobs a dwarf could use help with here and there. Why, I know! Why don't you just help me here! After a few nights you will more than earn your way into the mountains. Oh, you and your friend would look so adorable in dirndls!"

Elsa wasn't sure what a dirndl was, but she assumed it was a style of dress similar to what Snow was wearing. The thought of Anna and herself in that style of low-cut dress made her cheeks imperceptibly pink.

That's when she noticed the empty stool next to her along with an empty plate and two empty krüge. Bruni had sat himself on the plate and began licking the leftover gravy. Snow became transfixed by the little blue creature.

Then seemingly out of thin air, Anna's jacket landed onto Elsa's head. She pulled it off her shocked face and heard, before she saw, the blazing red head in the central room.

"WOOOO! This stuff is GREAT the more you drink it!" She took a big gulp from a third krug and placed it on top of a dwarf's bald head, surprisingly staying in place.

She spun on the dance floor, excited dwarves making room for her significantly larger presence as her body twisted and turned, skirt weaving through the air and braids swaying to the rhythm.

Without taking her eyes off of the spinning spectacle, Elsa asked Snow with a slightly worried tone "Please tell me you water down your mead."

"Heavens no. Why would I do a silly thing like that?"

Anna came hopping over to Elsa, grabbing both of her hands causing the pink in her cheeks to deepen involuntarily.

"Let's DANCE Els!"

"What? No. I don't… I don't dance."

"Come on. It'll be fun! They're YODELING!"

"No, Anna. I… I don't know how…"

"That's ok, I'll teach you!"

And with that, Anna flung off her boots into the pile by the door with surprising dexterity and hoisted Elsa onto her feet, dragging her to the wide-open floor.

_What is she doing? This is a bad idea. What if I lose control? If I lose focus, I could lower the temperature, put out the fires and candles, I could freeze the floor or freeze a person! They're all watching me… How am I supposed to watch all of them if I'm distracted with this silly, trivial activity? I have to go back. I sit in taverns and watch people, I don't participate. I don't give them more reasons to stare at me…_

_Why can't I go back? Her hands are still grasping mine. Let me go, Anna! This isn't safe! What if I lose control and I… I freeze you… Our bodies are so close. My heart is beating too fast. Her hands are so… warm. I can't… I'm going to lose control…_

"Elsa. Focus on me. Nothing else. Don't worry about them, or the music, or where your feet are going. Focus entirely on me. Where my feet are, where my hands are, the way my body moves. Yours will follow mine. Don't worry! I've got you."

_Focus on her…Her hand clutching mine… her other hand is touching my cheek. Her warmth is pouring into me. Those blue eyes peering at me. Not cold like mine, lighter blue with a tinge of green? She's smiling. She looks so happy. It must be the alcohol._

_She's placed each of our right hands around our backs. Our left hands are grasping each other's elbows. She's turned our bodies, so we are not quite facing each other. Our right arms extend across our front. Bodies begin to twist round each other. Slowly at first. My feet are moving on their own, following their leader. Our bodies switch position, spinning and turning, twirling and swaying to the inaudible music. Our eyes are locked._

_The world spins faster. My hand is above my head. I can feel my fingers against her palm guiding my whole body through the faint touch. That touch seamlessly blending into her own fingers as she whirls in front of me, her skirt brushing against my legs._

_It's like the whole world has faded away as we dance across this ethereal dreamscape. Her smile reflected off my own._

_I think… I'm having fun._

_She's taken my hand in hers. The other rests gently on her shoulder as she wraps hers around my back, lower than before. She pulls our bodies closer now… facing each other more directly. She's gotten more aggressive. She takes my body through a mesmerizing spiral. God, I've never felt anything like this. Being able to actually dance with someone, be this close to someone. To not be afraid or… be feared. Only in my wildest dreams…_

_Our bodies slow to a stop. I can feel her heart beating, practically in sync with my own. I can start to hear the music again. And something else. Clapping? Cheering? Not screams of terror and pain? I haven't frozen everything around me. I don't know how that's possible… and yet at the same time I see the reason. It's staring back at me with bated breath and red, freckled cheeks._

* * *

The night began to simmer. To Elsa's amazement, the dwarves all helped Lady Snow with the cleanup of the tavern. Despite her kind voice and soft demeanor, she commanded this horde of little men like a queen.

 _It's like she put the fear of God in them._ Elsa thought to herself.

The haphazard pile of items by the door was quickly and efficiently dispersed among all of the various owners, including Anna's items which Elsa brought to one of the rooms that Snow had given them for the time being. Now all that was left was to bring the passed-out girl herself.

"Why is it that I'm carrying you, yet again." Elsa said with soft amusement.

Anna was in her arms, again. Her eyes were closed, seemingly asleep. Yet Elsa heard the soft whisper of her voice reply "…you know you love it…"

Elsa shook her head, but her smile remained. However, she was soon to learn that carrying someone on the verge of a hangover was not the wisest idea.

"Elsa… I don't feel so good…"

Elsa had observed the aftermath of someone not able to hold their liquor a handful of times, so she quickly brought Anna out a side door that Snow had directed her to. Once outside, Anna tried to get back onto her feet, but ended up doubled over and vomiting into the planters outside. Elsa noticed that the planters were filled with exceptionally fragrant flowers probably planted by Snow for this very purpose.

_She did say 'new experiences'… I'm not quite sure how to help with something like this but keeping her hair out of the way seems like a good idea._

Elsa suppressed the urge of her own gag reflex. She didn't want to leave Anna in this state. And someone had to hold those braids out of harm's way.

Once Anna was done, Elsa had collected what was left of the suffering redhead and guided, not carried, her to the room.

"Here you go. A nice soft bed like you wanted. Sleep it off and I'll see you in the morning."

"Wait, Elsa… my head is killing me. Can you just…"

Before she could finish the words, she had grabbed Elsa's hand and placed it on her forehead. Elsa could feel the heat radiating from under the ginger bangs while her natural coolness flowed sweet relief to the pounding, throbbing migraine.

"Oh… ya that feels gooooood." Anna somehow managed to quickly fall asleep, body on top of the covers, with Elsa still standing there and her hand placed on her forehead.

_She's trapped me. Now what do I do? I guess I could just leave to my own room. Will that make her headache worse? I don't know what this feels like to a person. My hand seemed to help with the pain. If I take it away, then she might wake up in more pain. I guess I'll stay a while to make sure she gets some good rest. She is a heavy sleeper… I think I'll just... take a seat next to her on the bed._

Elsa took off her dark cloak and gently sat on the bed next to the snoring girl. She had her back up against the wall at the head of the bed. Her fingers lightly brushed against the crimson bangs. The other hand was ever so slightly petting her head, needlessly careful not to wake her. Her own eyes began to grow heavy. It had been a long day. What seems like for the first time in forever, Elsa felt…relaxed.

_There is just something about her… That feeling again. Ever since I first laid eyes on her. I don't know what it is. Something about her just feels comforting, soothing, and almost…_

_familiar._

* * *

_The sun is shining through barren trees. Leaves, long since fallen, are covered by freshly laid snow. The branches are restless with the wind. I am back in the enchanted forest. I'm home. Yet, Eiki is not the one standing there to greet me. Instead, I see the ghostly figure of a teenage girl, her simple shawl glistening as if made from crystal, long platinum hair draped over her shoulders, and ice blue eyes staring back at me._

_There is a voice. Familiar yet distant._

"Leave. Now."

_Another voice. Also, familiar yet not my own. Deeper, filled with fear. A man's voice._

"Please… Don't kill me!"

_I can't move my body. I look down. My feet are frozen in place. My hands are clasped together as if praying. The ice begins to recede so that I may heed the girls command._

"I'm sorry for trespassing! I was just trying to escape the blizzard. I got lost and couldn't see where I was going. Please forgive me!"

"Blizzard?" _She tilts her head. Unemotional features now tinged with puzzlement._

"Out there, it's the worst winter we've ever seen. People are trying to escape the town. There's no food, ships can't get in or out. I've lost my horse and my supplies…"

_I look around this seeming oasis, free of the tormenting storm outside. The foreign voice grows pleading, desperate. He knows that he will die out there. He also knows that he will die here._

_My younger self stands there. Not saying anything. Not expressing anything. But I know what she's thinking. I don't want to kill this man, but I don't want to send him to his death. The last time I left this forest… people died… people were_ killed. _But… what if I could save a life? Would that be ok? Would that be permissible to the forest?_

_The young girl looks around. Looks behind her. Looks to her sides. Looking for permission, looking for retribution, looking for a sign of what to do. Looking at this dying man in front of her._

_She walks forward. I watch, helpless, as she passes me by and enters the fog. A disembodied voice calls out from the mist._

"Follow. Or die."

* * *

_Mmmmmh… I feel great… This bed is so soft. My body is warm yet there is a nice relaxing coolness from the pillows. This was probably the best night of sleep I've ever had, castle and all. I just want to nuzzle my face into this amazing pillow that smells like juniper._

_Juniper…_

_Juniper!?_

Anna slowly opens her eyes. First, she sees white fabric. _Pillowcase? Sheets?_ Her eyes slowly travel upward inspecting the soft curves. _Down pillows?_ They make their way up to an immaculate neckline accented with an expertly crafted platinum braid.

_Oh no. Oh nonononononono._

Her heart starts to race and a cold sweat trickles down her forehead.

_What happened last night!? Why are we in the same bed? How drunk was I? I remember the dance… that amazing dance… but then what? Ohmygod did we share an amazing, intimate moment and I have no memory of it? God what if our first time was through a drunken stupor that I'll never know! I've already ruined this relationship, this friendship, whatever this is I don't know!_

_Wait, calm down. Maybe nothing happened. Don't overreact. You're just sharing a bed. That's innocent enough right…?_

The inviting pillows begin to shift as a soft voice enters Anna's ears like divine nectar.

"Good morning..."

_Oooooh god something totally happened. That is such a 'we just mutually lost our virginity to each other last night' good morning. Not that I have any idea what that is but this certainly feels like it!_

"Uh… Goooood morning…?" Anna said as she sat herself up on the bed across from Elsa.

"How are you feeling?" Elsa was looking at her with a slight worry in her brows.

_How am I feeling? I don't know, how is one supposed to feel after losing their virginity to a magical goddess and then not remembering any of it?! Calm down, calm down. Deep breaths._

"I feel… well, I slept amazing."

"That's good. You were so sick last night; I wasn't sure what to do but my hand on your head seemed to help so I stayed to help you sleep. I guess I must have drifted off myself. I'm glad I didn't wake you."

…

"You stayed with me all night to help me sleep off a hangover?"

"I… guess I did."

…

"Wow. Um, thank you… I should… freshen up. I probably smell awful. I'm really, really sorry that I caused so much trouble last night. I'm so embarrassed."

Elsa gave her a shy smile.

"Don't be. I had… fun."

Anna's typical beaming grin returned to her face.

* * *

Snow had introduced Anna to her intricately elaborate washroom. The dwarves were not known for their hygiene, but Snow had them design a complex irrigation system in her tavern for the purpose of keeping everyone clean. The room reminded Anna of a sauna but with running, warm water that you can stand under. It felt amazing for a post hangover.

Snow had also provided elderflower soap and soft linen towels.

_Is this really a tavern? This is better than anything I have at the castle!_

After washing off the remnants of her inebriation, Anna quickly returned her hair into their favorite twin braids and donned her clothes. Snow had quickly, and expertly washed all of her garments. The thicker, winter coat and skirt still needed drying but the lighter clothes that Anna had worn underneath were freshly laundered. Her Arendellian traveling skirt and long-sleeved top that she had left the castle in as well as the slightly oversized winter boots.

She returned to the main hall of the tavern, which was empty this early in the afternoon, and immaculately clean. Anna was passed out by the end of the night and so had missed the spectacle of the dwarven cleaning horde.

Elsa, looking equally immaculate, had returned the dark cloak around her body. She sat at the bar, talking to Snow. Snow had Bruni in her hands playing with the little amphibian.

Anna was still unsure of the nature of her relationship with Elsa. Her foggy memories made her a little uneasy. But the taller woman made no indication that anything _serious_ happened last night. And Anna had not seen Elsa drink any alcohol. That put her at ease and so she relaxed back into their budding friendship.

"So what's the new plan then?" Anna asked as she took a seat next to Elsa at the bar. Elsa handed her a mug with fresh water.

"Snow had suggested that we help her here in the tavern to earn enough gems to get us through the mountains."

Anna perked up at the idea.

"Ooo that sounds like fun!"

Anna took the mug and was about to drink when she noticed a soft rumble. She assumed it was her stomach, hungry for breakfast, but then it grew louder.

"Geez, I'm sorry. My stomach is usually not this rude."

"I don't think that was your stomach" Elsa said as she turned to look toward the door.

The rumble grew even stronger. The krüge on the wall began to quiver. Then a thunderous tremor shook the building, nearly knocking Anna off the stool. The faint ringing of bells began to fill the air.

For the first time since their meeting, Snow's brow frowned with worry and concern.

"Oh dear…"

"What's happening?" Anna asked as she steadied herself against the bar.

Snow turned to look at the girls.

"A mountain troll."

* * *

The girls ran outside. The dwarves were frantically running around trying to close their shops and gather as much of their merchandise as possible. There was a mass running into the various tunnels going deeper into the mountain. Snow called out to a dwarf with a red shirt and small spectacles on his face.

"Doc! What's going on? Why is there a troll this deep in the city?"

The dwarf came running over.

"I'm not sure ma'am! There hasn't been a fountain mole… a mountain troll… this far down in hundreds of years! They never come down from the top of the mountains! There must not be enough sheep this season so it's looking for more food…"

"I don't suppose it eats schnitzel?" Anna asked, slightly hopeful.

Elsa and Anna could now see the towering figure thundering toward them. Thick, tree trunk like legs carrying a barrel torso with massive arms swinging by its side. The skin was almost black and rough like rock. Its head was massive with curved horns twisting on either side of its skull curling around toward its jagged toothed maw.

Elsa turned to the terrified dwarf.

"How do you stop it?"

"Well, we hide until it goes away."

"Can everyone escape in time?"

"I don't know, this hasn't happened in so long. The tunnels are probably backed up. If he gets to the gates it could be a bwarven duffet… a.. a… dwarven buffet!"

Elsa looked past Doc toward the gates which sat beyond the gem markets. She could already make out the mass of little figures trying to squeeze through the doors. She turned to look back at the troll slowly lumbering toward the helpless dwarves.

"Right then."

She began to walk toward the center square. A wide open circular courtyard in front of the tavern. The road from the outside led into it and the gem markets lay beyond. She made her way to the middle, standing in the troll's path.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" Anna cried out.

Elsa looked at her with that steel determination the redhead had seen before. That same look in her eyes when she faced the guardian. When she defended Anna from the closest thing she had to a family.

A pale hand climbed up to unclasp her cloak. She pulled it down around her shoulders tossing it into the air with an outstretched arm. A brilliant spectacle of lights erupted. The beams radiating from the countless rubies, sapphires, and diamonds reflecting off of the white dress wrapped around her body. The entire square illuminated into a cascading display of colors with a single, flawless diamond standing at its center.

The dwarves all stopped, mesmerized by the site before them. Never had they seen a jewel so perfect. Anna stood there, her eyes wide and her mouth practically hitting the floor.

The troll stepped into the square.

Elsa clenched her fists. She raised her right leg, knee bent almost at her chest, and stomped her bare foot into the ground. Ice emanated from underneath turning the entire square into a frozen lake. It reached the troll's foot and froze it in place. Elsa raised her left leg and slammed her next foot into the ground in front of her. A second pillar of ice erupted around the troll's other foot.

With her knees bent, she extended her arms out and began to raise them as if trying to raise the sun itself. Her fingers turned upward trying to grasp the immense power in her control. The ice crept up the troll's body. Elsa had never attempted to freeze anything so large before. Her face winced from the concentration as she poured more power into the ice sculpture before her. The troll began to bellow out a defiant roar as the ice swallowed its enormous head.

Elsa's body relaxed. She stood straight, flicked her braid behind her and gave a satisfied nod to the statue standing before her. She turned to walk back to the still stunned Anna gaping at her.

Then she heard it.

*CRACK*

Her head whipped back to the statue. Fractures snaking down the ice. And then an explosion of blue crystal knocking her back onto the ground. The troll erupted like a roaring volcano slamming its hands into the icy floor causing jagged shards to ripple all around.

Elsa's eyes were wide with shock. Nothing has ever broken her ice before.

The enraged troll went into a frenzy. It stampeded toward her still prone body on the ground.

"Elsa!" Anna yelled out.

Elsa's determination did not waver.

She launched herself out of the way of the pummeling fists. She smoothed the ice before her, skating across the surface with inhuman speed.

The troll gave chase.

Elsa turned her body so that she was skating backwards, eyes locked onto her opponent. Her hands called forth pillars of ice from the ground. Trapping a leg, slamming into its arm, boring into its stomach. The troll was unmoved. It broke the pillars as easily as a pile of leaves. It's solid mass not even marred by the impact of a thousand pounds of ice being slammed into it.

Elsa launched herself into a spin over broken sections of the ice, her twisting form launching daggers of icicles into the troll. They bounced off the thick hide with little effort.

The troll grabbed a hunk of rock that made up a storefront façade and hurled it at the spinning figure as she landed. She raised her hands in the air summoning a wall of ice before her. With unexpected speed, the troll closed the distance and smashed through the wall slamming its backhand across her body sending her flying through a stone wall into a building.

Anna was done watching.

Snow called out to her.

"Anna, come back! It's too dangerous!"

"I have to help her!"

She didn't even look back.

The troll was walking toward the store with Elsa trapped inside. Anna could see the platinum figure trying desperately to get on her feet. Anna scanned the environment for options. She saw Elsa's discarded cloak on the ground. She ran over and picked it up, nearly slipping on the ice. She continued to run toward the troll from behind, but then turned into the markets. She entered a multi storied storefront, sprinting up the stairs onto the roof.

She had run into the building next to the one Elsa was in. The troll began its stampede again, charging toward the building.

With nothing but luck on her side, Anna jumped.

She caught the trolls head in the fabric of the cloak, pulling it tight around its head, feet planting firmly into its shoulders. The troll stumbled in it's stampede and flailed around in circles in the square. Anna rode the beast like a crazed animal, desperately trying to avoid it's grasping fingers from pulling her off.

"Leave my friend alone you big oaf!"

Elsa shook off the dizziness and looked with horror at the site before her.

"Oh no, Anna!"

She leaped back onto the ice, ignoring the pain in her side and blood running down her temple.

Pointing her outstretched hands toward the troll, she attempted to freeze its feet in place knowing it was only temporary.

"Anna, jump! I'll catch you!"

Without a second of hesitation, Anna followed her commands and leapt off the back of the troll.

Elsa was expecting a reluctancy and was caught off guard by the immediateness of Anna's jump.

"Oh Hel."

Elsa quickly summoned a flurry of soft powdered snow that Anna fell into like a soft blanket. She skated over, reached her hand into the pile of snow, and pulled out the grinning girl onto the ice. Anna nearly stumbled into Elsa's arms as they skated away from the stuck troll.

"So, now might be a good time to mention that I'm not very good at ice skating." Anna said with a wary chuckle.

"What? What kind of Norsr girl doesn't know how to ice skate?"

Elsa picked up speed, pulling the other girl along, braids flying behind them. Anna nearly screamed out the words through the exhilaration "The kind that was locked in a castle her whole life!"

Without realizing, Elsa had pulled them deeper into the gem markets, and closer to the vulnerable dwarves still funneling into the tunnels. They hid themselves behind a counter selling pouches of diamond dust while the troll broke free from its fragile icy bonds.

"I don't know what to do. My ice isn't strong enough to stop it."

Anna looked around them for options.

"There must be some way you can strengthen your ice. I mean, diamonds are like ice and they are the hardest thing in existence."

"Diamonds are not like ice. They just look similar. But maybe…"

Elsa looked around them, noticing the sacks of diamond dust spread around them.

"I don't know if this will work, but I have an idea. It will require all of my concentration though."

Anna gave her an equally steel look of determination.

"Say no more. I'll keep him distracted for as long as you need."

"No, Anna it's too dangerous. I want you to find somewhere safe and…"

"It is dangerous and that's why you need me! We do this together. Don't worry I know you can do it."

Elsa gave her a slow nod of reluctant acceptance.

"Please… be careful."

Anna gave her a smirk and caressed her pale cheek.

"You too. Hey, can I borrow Bruni?"

At the sound of its name the blue amphibian popped out of its hiding place at the top of Elsa's hair. It leaped onto Anna's shoulder and gave her a knowing nod of its head.

Anna proceeded to empty out one of the sacks, spilling the glittering sand all over the floor. Then she broke off a long length of wood that formed part of the awning for the market stall. After wrapping the cloth around it and tying it off with rope from the sack, she exited the stall leaving Elsa behind, kneeling on the ground surrounded by a dune of diamonds.

Elsa closed her eyes and put her hands together, palms inches apart and fingers curled as if trying to form the hardest snowball ever created. She focused all of her power into the tiny space between her hands. A tiny blizzard began to take shape. Floating in the air and roiling around itself, slowly growing in intensity but not in size.

Anna made her way to the side of the markets, away from Elsa.

"Ok Bruni. Are you ready?"

Bulging eyes blinked an affirmative.

"If this troll doesn't mind ice, let's see how it handles fire. Please, don't burn my arms off?"

The small blue creature leaped off her shoulder and onto the makeshift torch.

Anna watched as the troll found a poor dwarf hiding in a market stall. This one was relatively plump with bright blue eyes, screaming frantically as the troll raised him into the air about to swallow him whole.

She called out to the hulking figure about to have its first meal.

"Hey, ugly! Why don't you pick on someone… only slightly bigger than the ones you're trying to pick on!"

The troll didn't notice.

Anna ran over, as fast as she could, leaping over crashed benches and stone walls. She made it practically underneath the troll, it's head raised about to engulf the still flailing little man.

"Bruni! LIGHT HER UP!"

The edge of the torch erupted into a blazing volcano of red and purple flames. The troll roared in shock as it flung the little round dwarf into the air and crashed into a nearby second story window.

Meaty hands came down trying to snuff the flames. Anna ducked and rolled out of the way of the burly fingers. To her dismay, the flames seemed to do little, if any, actual damage to the troll's rock-like hide. She began to run through the stalls getting the creature to chase after her.

When the troll got close, she swung the flames like a sword trying to find a vulnerable spot to the heat.

_If only I could reach its eyes or something!_

Still kneeling on the ground in the diamond stall, Elsa clenched her teeth, sweat and blood pouring down her face. The brilliant dust began to rise in the air swirling around her like a mist. It was being sucked into the space between her palms. The churning vortex of an entire winter being condensed into the space of a snow globe. It began to shine as brightly as a burning star. She heard a faint scream escape her own lips as the power was growing too much for her to handle.

Still, she would not be denied.

Another scream, a different pair of lips. Anna was cornered.

The fire would no longer deter the oncoming mass of muscle making its way toward the trapped ginger haired fox. She had stumbled into some kind of auditorium where dwarves most likely auctioned off items on display at the central stage. It was made up of tiered benches facing a central dais that was backed by a massive stone wall that reached all the way to the ceiling of the cave.

Anna nearly fell down the small stairs, landing onto the dais as the troll barreled its way through the stone arches and flattened the benches under its gargantuan feet. The sprawling arm span of the troll made escape impossible as she was backed against the wall with only the torch between them.

"Ok Elsa. Now would be as good a time as any! Whenever you're ready!"

Blue-green eyes stared up in dread at the monster towering above her. She tried to make a break for it, but the lumbering arm was too long. She was snatched by the bulbous digits wrapped around her delicate frame. With barely a thought the troll could crush her entire body in the palm of its hand.

She had dropped the torch on the ground, but Bruni leaped onto the rising hand. He burst into flames on top of the troll's thumb but to no avail. The meaty appendage pulled them up to it's gaping maw and it blew the magical creature like a candle causing it to fly off the massive hand. Putrid breath and green, bile filled spittle spewed onto Anna's face.

"That's disgusting. Don't you rinse your mouth out? Now I'm going to need another shower!"

She cringed as the hand tightened its grip. A scream of pain erupted from her breathless gasps.

She stared at the troll, but no longer in fear. Instead she glared at it in mock defiance. She had no doubt in her mind that she would survive, that she would get that shower, and that she bought enough time.

Then the world fell.

Anna's stomach rose into her throat as her body plummeted three stories onto the ground. She coughed in pain as she landed onto the hard, stone dais. She found that she still couldn't breath and when she opened her eyes, she realized that she was still wrapped in the pudgy, black digits.

Then her ears were filled with a blood curdling scream, an inhuman scream, a deep, gurgling, reverberating cry that seemed to pulsate every fiber in her being. She forced open the massive fingers and rolled onto the floor. She stared up at the towering behemoth above her, crying out in rage.

Her mind managed to push through the disorienting noise burrowing into her skull and she processed what was happening. She looked over and saw her meaty prison lying on the ground, severed from its owner. Massive pools of viscous, black liquid pooled and splattered all over the auditorium.

The remaining limb came bouldering down like a comet crashing through the sky with such force that Anna expected to find herself in a crater. Instead she heard a deafening crunch like rocks being pulverized. The comet had stopped dead in its trajectory.

The shattered fist had not collided against a wall of mere ice. It had crashed against a shield made of ice packed as if it was forged for millions of years under the constant weight and pressure of an entire continent.

A glacier forged into a perfect barrier, reinforced with diamond, and rimmed with a crystalline blade that could cut through even the hardest steel.

Elsa stood her ground, bare feet rooted, teeth clenched in resolve, with the glacial shield on her right arm.

With only one broken hand, the troll attempted to stomp the platinum haired woman out of existence. Elsa raised her shield arm. Despite the immense weight of the troll on top of her, the shield held. Elsa didn't have to use raw muscle. It was forged from her powers and she could control it with the same ease as the tiniest snowflake.

She knocked the foot away causing the amputated creature to fall back into the benches of the auditorium.

Elsa fixed the troll with a stern gaze as she poured power into her voice. A command rang out like a thundering avalanche crashing down a mountain.

" **LEAVE. NOW."**

Elsa wasn't sure if the creature would even understand words, but a creature of the mountains knows an avalanche, and knows to run.

It rose to its feet, clenched its remaining hand around it's open wound, and ran back the way it came out of the dwarven city.

Everything was silent.

Anna immediately got to her feet and practically leaped onto Elsa's back, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Elsa, that was… Holy Cow!"

Elsa's face grew worried. She looked at Anna with that familiar fear in her eyes.

"I've never done anything like that before… I've never displayed my powers to so many people. What if the dwarves' brand me a monster?"

As she said the words the two women noticed hundreds of eyes staring at them from the top of the auditorium. Peering at them from the shadows.

Elsa's fear was growing. How would the dwarves react to such a powerful witch standing in their midst?

A single dwarf came down the stairs. Anna saw the small, rotund figure walk up to them, standing on the dais. He was the one she had saved from being eaten.

Elsa stood there petrified more in fear of this little dwarf than she had been of the troll. He looked at her and looked at Anna. And he gave them the biggest smile.

"You… you saved me. You saved all of us! Thank you, Isskjoldr."

The dwarf, beaming with happiness, bowed his bald head. The hundreds of peering eyes turned into looks of appreciation, astonishment, and reverence as they poured into the auditorium with cries of gratitude on their lips.

Chants of 'Isskjoldr' filled the air.

Anna raised herself slightly to whisper into Elsa's ear "What are they calling you?"

Elsa was too astonished at the outpouring of thankfulness to realize Anna had asked her a question. Then she turned to her and said, "I think it means… Ice Shield."

* * *

The two battered women returned to The Poisoned Apple to look after their wounds. Snow was worried sick and gave them heaps of adoration for saving everyone.

Anna managed to convince Elsa to continue sharing her room instead of staying in her own.

"Your powers help me heal!" she had said.

"I don't have healing powers except for myself."

"Well they only work on you and on me apparently so you should stay with me to help me heal like last time."

Elsa rolled her eyes but gave in regardless.

They both sat in the comfy bed together nursing their wounds. Snow had wrapped up Anna's bruises. Elsa insisted she didn't need any attending to, as her powers would take care of it. Bruni had a little strip of cloth wrapped around his little head as he sat on top of Elsa's.

After a day spent recovering, the girls were surprised to find out that the dwarves were not finished with their gratification. They were presented with a dwarven seal that allowed them free passage throughout Svartalfheim as well as a large satchel of gems for barter, and a map.

"Are you sure about all this?" Elsa asked Doc, the dwarf that was chosen to present the gifts to their saviors.

"Of course, Isskjoldr! This is only a small token of our thanks for saving us! You both will forever be beloved friends of the dwarves. We can't thank you enough."

After planning a general route through the mountains, the two women gathered their belongings from the tavern and made their way to the gates of Svartalfheim. Snow joined them in order to say her own goodbye.

"If you ever make your way back here again, please drop in and say hi. I'll always have warm food waiting for you dears."

Anna gave her a big hug.

"Definitely! I'll miss your schnitzel."

Elsa just gave Snow a slight nod, a warm smile, and a soft 'thank you', not being one for large displays of affection.

Snow had made them some fresh pretzels for their journey. Anna had packed them away in her bag along with their new supplies, and her cloak. Doc had given her a dwarven lantern which glowed with a self-luminating rock that they mine. Within the confines of the caves they don't use fire because the smoke would just fill the mountain. Elsa stated that she didn't need one because Bruni's flames didn't create smoke. Also, her magic had its own glow to it if she wanted.

Anna was still saying goodbyes to basically everyone around. Elsa had already walked up to the gates which had been opened for them.

"Anna. Are you ready?"

Anna let go of the angry little dwarf who they had originally met on the road from a big, seemingly unwanted, hug and came skipping over to Elsa's side.

"I'm ready when you are!" She gave her a little nudge on her bare shoulder and a big toothy smile.

Elsa responded with her own delicate smile as they passed through the gates into the dwarven realm.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characterizations:
> 
> Let's talk Elsa. Even though this version of Elsa is clearly very different from the movie version, the movies are still the primary source of inspiration. For Elsa I chose to base this characterization on specific facial expressions. Most specifically during 'Into the Unknown' while she is singing the lines "you're not a voice. You're just a ringing in my ear". Her face during those lyrics has this wonderful sass and confidence to it that I loved and so I play that up in this version of her.
> 
> The Bare Feet:
> 
> Ok so the feet thing. It's not inspired by Rapunzel. I'm sure most of us remember the original teaser trailer from Frozen 2. The clip of her running into the waves. Honestly that entire sequence with Nokk is one of my favorite things in any animation ever.
> 
> For the overall look of Elsa in this story, at least at this stage, I really gravitated to that scene, and that look. Specifically, concept art for that scene. If you google Frozen 2 concept art you will find hand drawn images of a badass looking, barefoot, Elsa standing in that outfit. It also makes sense in this context being a relatively simpler outfit.
> 
> An Elsa that's spent her entire life living in a forest and on the outskirts of a rough trading town is not wearing dazzling dresses. And since she is making all of these clothes, she probably has less exposure to shoes and shoes are kind of complicated to make if you've never really worn them before.
> 
> Linguistics:
> 
> I am playing a lot with the languages. Let's start with the dwarves. I wanted to root them in Norse mythology, so they use old Norse words and runes being an older culture not really exposed to the rapidly developing human one. Having said that, there are limited resources online for Norse words therefore for the names I basically cheated and stuck with modern Norwegian words.
> 
> Grumpy – Grinete
> 
> Happy - Lykkelig
> 
> Dopy - Morsom
> 
> Bashful - Sjenert
> 
> Sneezy - Nyse
> 
> Sleepy - Sovnig
> 
> Doc – Doc
> 
> I kept Doc because it's not like the others and I thought it was funny. Also, for the record, I don't name them all, but they are all there eventually. Like cameos.
> 
> Kaupstaur is an old Norse word for trading town, at least according to the internet.
> 
> Svartalfheim is one of the realms of Norse mythology like Asgard, Midgard, etc.
> 
> Now let's move on to Snow.
> 
> Snow White is so quintessentially German that I just went all the way with it. While the dwarves are based in Norse and Norwegian, everything about Snow is based on German.
> 
> Krüge: What's a krug? This was an unexpected linguistic dilemma I ran into. In America, we know these mugs as bier steins. They are the mugs that appear in the actual Snow-White movie. Now bierstein is a German word, but as far as I can tell they are not called biersteins in Germany. They are called krug or krüge for plural. For whatever reason I felt weird using an essentially American word for the mug so I decided to go with the word they actually use in Germany.
> 
> If you enjoyed this story and want to be a part of the community, join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at /TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL) or search fo rthe Elsanna Shenanigans tumblr for a link.


	3. Episode 2: Messenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While traveling through the dwarven mountains, the girls come across strange and.... disturbing sights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Descriptions of gore, Mild sensual content, Metaphorical description of rape in a dreamscape. (These are all separate entities)

_The eyes._

_Looking at me. Staring at me. Glaring at me._

_Fixated on me. Lying on me. Crawling on me._

_Piercing into me. Probing into me. Boring into me._

_My adolescent self stands in front of the frozen trading town. The storm of snow and ice beckoned to my call like a faithful canine to its master. I told it to leave. Willed it to dissipate. Commanded it to cease. I had never controlled a storm before, but I could hear its cry as clearly as a voice in my ears._

_The blizzard vanished across the sky as if it were never there, leaving behind snow covered roads and wind torn buildings._

_And in its place grew another storm. A storm of eyes. Peering from behind closed doors and shut windows. This storm also had a voice._

"It's the Witch."

_Broken glass at my feet. Shattered against my crystalline protector._

"You fool! She'll call back the storm and kill us all!"

_I picked up a shard of dark green glass. It smelled like nothing I had ever smelled before. It froze to my touch. Shattered into the wind._

_I stood in the middle of this storm of fear oppressing down on me. I could run, but I did not. I had only ever known my own fear._

_Now I could taste theirs._

_It was bitter, briny, like bile resting on my tongue._

_It was an acquired taste._

* * *

*yawn*

_Even when she yawns, she looks so demure. When I yawn, I feel like I'm going to swallow a bug. Which one of us is the princess again?_

"Trouble sleeping?" Anna said as she leaned forward a bit as the two women walked.

"Hmm? Oh, just bad dreams."

The two women were walking through one of the dwarven tunnels. Kaupstaur was days behind them. The dwarven tunnels were not like anything they were expecting. Instead of dank, dark caverns, they journeyed through an impeccably carved system of roads with an almost magical quality to the rock surrounding them.

The walls and ceiling were actually illuminated. The rocks that make up the innards of the mountains glowed with bright hues of blue and green almost like the aurora borealis. They wondered if this phenomenon were natural or if the dwarves somehow constructed it. It made it so that even though they were deep underground, the light made it feel like the middle of the day outside.

"Anna, may I ask you something?"

"Oh? You want to ask _me_ something for a change? This is a first."

Elsa bit her lower lip and averted her gaze off to the side, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hey, I was just kidding! You know you can ask me anything! Go ahead, shoot."

"It may be an uncomfortable subject. It's ok if you don't want to answer it."

"Oh ok. Serious face on. Ready!"

"You've talked a lot about your mother."

"Speaking of uncomfortable subjects…" Anna said with that now familiar sour look on her face.

"What about your father…?"

"My father?"

"I'm sorry if it's too personal a subject."

"No, no! It's ok. I didn't really know him. He died when I was really little. Like when I was 4 years old. His ship got lost at sea. I have a few, blurry memories of him. Mother was heartbroken, obviously. I think she still is even though she distracts herself with… other things."

"I see. I'm sorry regardless."

"Hey, no biggie. Like I said, I don't really remember him. And I had plenty of my mother around. And an army of servants. And good ol' Joan."

"The painting."

"She's not _just_ a painting."

"I didn't have much of a mother figure. Eiki wasn't that much of a father figure either I suppose."

"Eiki?"

"The guardian."

"Oh. That's an awfully cute name for something so… imposing."

"It's a nickname. Better than Punz."

"Hey!"

Anna gave her a playful shove into her shoulder.

"So… what did you do in the forest? Like for fun, or to pass the time."

"I suppose I played like any other girl. Except without any other girls. I always had Bruni to play with though."

The little creature was sitting on the top of her head in its usual spot.

"He's like your Joan."

"Didn't you say you had this, Rapunzel girl to play with growing up?"

"Oh, well, not really. That's all kind of recent-ish. She was kidnapped when she was a baby. It was only a few years ago that she was rescued. She did a tour with her parents of the neighboring kingdoms and that's when I met her. Before that it was just me and Joan."

"You never played with any of the servants?"

"God no. I mean I would have LOVED to, don't get me wrong. But if a servant so much as looked at me for a second too long my mother would have them fired."

"Why would she do that?"

"Just being overprotective, I guess. And overly conceited about our status. Which is why Punz was such a relief because she was also a princess and therefore 'highborn' enough for me to interact with. If only mother knew."

Anna gave herself an amused laugh.

"Only knew what?"

"Huh? What? Nothing! Never mind. Back to you!"

"Oh, well I guess I would play with Bruni. I would play with my powers. I didn't have anyone to teach me anything, so I just played around with them. I would make simple things like statues of trees or animals or Bruni. Eventually I would learn to make my clothes. I constructed little houses to live in."

"That sounds ADORABLE."

"I'm sure they were just large, hollowed out squares. Nothing too elaborate like a castle or anything."

Anna couldn't help but imagine a little Elsa playing house inside of an ice cube with a window and a door.

"Things got more interesting when I started… visiting Tronsvik more."

_She has that look on her face again. When she thinks of that place, she looks so… sad._

"Eiki didn't like it. In the beginning I felt like I was keeping secrets from him."

"You were sneaking out. I can totally relate to that."

"Eventually I would figure out how to barter. I mostly traded for books and… chocolate."

"The important things in life."

"I think after a while he reluctantly accepted my excursions. I never brought anyone back to the forest. Until you, that is."

Anna became fidgety at the reminder of her guilt.

"But I think I'm starting to feel thankful for what's happened. I was always so terrified of losing that tether to sanctuary, but deep down I always knew that there was more out there for me to see and experience. Without you I don't think I would have ever had the courage to step out into the world."

A blushing Anna fidgeted even more at the unexpected compliment.

"I'm glad. And I'm glad that… I can be a part of your world."

_Excuse me?_

"The world… a part of the world… no that's not… I'm glad to be… sharing these experiences with you! Ya that's it!"

_Way to be an awkward flirt Anna._

She got a light giggle in return which made her feel like she was floating on air.

* * *

As the women continued their underground journey, the intricate tunnels began to wear away into rougher stone caverns. The farther south they traveled, the less signs of habitation they saw.

"Man, it's too bad we can't take those little carts around. Looks like it would be a fun ride sliding through these tunnels on them."

"You might be able to fit in one but if I sat in one, I would probably get decapitated by a support beam."

"Doesn't look like they go down this far anyway. It seems like all the dwarves live in the north of the mountains. I wonder why we didn't see any dwarf women."

"I think it's rude to ask them about dwarf women."

"Fascinating. Maybe they don't have women. Maybe they sprout out of the ground like potatoes."

As they walked, the luminescent rock began to fade. Anna brought out her dwarven lantern while Bruni gently lit a candle like flame on the top of it's back while sitting on Elsa's palm. It became harder to see their surroundings. The stone beneath their feet began to feel softer.

After a while, they could see a light in the distance.

"Are we at the exit already? The map made it look like we were still far away." Anna said although she doubted her map reading skills as much as her cooking ability.

"I don't think that's an exit?" Elsa said as they both picked up their pace toward the light.

When they exited the tunnel, they found themselves staring in awe at what lay before them.

The mountain was hollow from it's base all the way to the tip which was open to the sky above. A dormant volcano. While the volcano was hollow, it was not empty. It was filled with an intricate network of branches reaching out on all sides from a singular, colossal tree trunk. The roots were like rolling hills along the ground.

Elsa reached out and touched a nearby root, its enormous bulk extending high above her head.

"Yggdrasil…" she whispered.

"The world tree? From the legends? I guess if dwarves are real, and you're real, then why not."

Without warning, Elsa fell into the root. Absorbed through the fibrous barrier without a trace.

"Elsa!"

Anna ran over and touched the root, trying to find the invisible door. There was nothing but solid bark against her hands. Then she heard the familiar, soft voice calling to her from high above.

"Anna! I'm up here!"

"What the hell happened? How did you get up there?"

Elsa was several hundred feet in the air, standing on an outstretched branch. She was looking down at the puzzled redhead with an equal amount of confusion.

"I have no idea. I just fell and then I fell onto this branch. Hold on, I can jump down from here."

 _I almost forgot heights are apparently not an issue for her._ Anna thought to herself just as she felt her own hand start to seep into the root.

Suddenly a rush and sense of vertigo overtook her as she found herself being thrown onto a wide, wooden arm high up in the air.

"Anna! Where did you go?"

Anna got to her feet and looked around. She was even higher up the tree than Elsa now.

"I'm up here!"

Elsa scanned the direction of the voice and found it's owner high above her head and hundreds of feet away.

"Stay where you are! I'll come to you!"

"That sounds like a great idea to me! I have a bad history with climbing!"

Elsa turned toward the trunk of the massive tree preparing to make her way toward Anna when she stopped suddenly at the sight of another person sitting on the branch in front of her.

"Hello Issburin."

It appeared to be a girl, younger than the other two but not by much. Deep, crimson hair several shades darker than Annas was tied in a massive, ponytail behind her head with several braids running along the sides of her scalp. The dark crimson was streaked with even darker, almost black, strands. Her eyes were also dark, but a dark shade of green like that of the leaves on a pine tree.

Like Elsa, she was barefoot. Wrapped around one of her ankles was some kind of jewelry that Elsa couldn't make out. She had a long, fur skirt that went down to her calves and a loose fitting, long sleeved, woolen shirt covering her torso.

"Who… who are you?"

The mysterious figure stood up, and slowly walked toward Elsa. She was examining her with a steady gaze that gave nothing away of what lay beyond. She tilted her head from side to side clearly thinking very hard about what she was looking at. She walked right up to Elsa, looking up and down.

"I don't get it" the girl said with even less emotion than Elsa.

"Excuse me?" Elsa looked at her with growing confusion knotting her brows.

"Why did he let you live in his forest? He doesn't let anyone in his forest."

Elsa's eyes grew wide with shock at the blunt statement.

"What did you say…?"

"I have a message."

"A message from who? Who are you? Do you know something about me?"

"I don't answer questions. He says 'You are ready'."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"I also don't repeat myself."

She started to turn and walk back toward the trunk of the tree. She stopped, turned her head slightly to look back at Elsa and said

"You were a lot shorter the last time I saw you."

Elsa couldn't contain herself any longer. She sprinted toward the girl.

"Wait! How do you know me!? What do you know about me?! Please, tell me!"

She nearly caught up to the girl as the crimson ponytail faded into the trunk of the world tree. Elsa leaped, face first, into the hard wood surface. She pounded on the trunk with her fists, trying to gain entrance. Instead the tree began to move.

"Elsa! What's going on!? The tree is moving!"

Elsa looked around her in bewilderment as the branches began to move freely around the trunk as if they weren't attached at all. They swiveled around the central pillar like spokes on a wheel but in independent directions. She looked up and saw Anna high above, swinging past. She ducked her head just in time to avoid a spinning branch from knocking her clear into the air.

Elsa ran toward the trunk. This time she poured power into the soles of her feet causing them to freeze with every step. Once she got the rhythm down, she jumped onto the trunk, feet sticking like a spider so that she was standing horizontal to the ground, long braid dangling behind her. She began to run up the trunk, narrowly avoiding the rotating branches as they swung around the core.

A particularly thick branch came careening toward her. She leaped onto it so that it would carry her toward Anna who was swinging in the opposite direction on her own branch. As the branches got closer, Elsa leaped into the air propelled by her pillar of ice.

She landed on the branch that Anna was grasping onto. She was on all fours, holding on for dear life. Elsa landed close to the trunk while Anna was farther out on the limb. They looked at each other with relief mirrored in their eyes.

Then a crimson tail appeared between them. It was dangling in the air. The girl was suspended upside down, feet planted on the branch above them. The two branches synced their movement. The girl slowly walked toward Anna, seemingly unaffected by gravity.

Anna was staring at the girl while still clutching the branch beneath her. The inexpressive girl again walked right up to Anna and examined her with a keen eye. Then her face got right up into Anna's personal space.

_Huh? What? I don't even know anymore. Wait did she just… sniff me?_

The upside-down girl knitted her brows together and seemed to pout in confusion.

"Um… Hello?" was all Anna could think to say at the strange and awkward interaction.

"I don't get it."

"I'm… sorry?"

The girl looked back toward Elsa who was now sprinting toward them, still desperate for answers. Then she turned her face to look at Anna once more.

"I don't have a message for you. But I will give you a warning."

"Uhh…" Anna's eyes blinked in bewilderment.

"Try not to fall."

"Well that's not really a warning so much as it's common seeennnnsseeeeee!"

Anna fell. Straight through the now permeable branch.

"ANNA!"

Elsa leaped into the air. She watched helplessly as Anna was about to slam directly into another fast approaching branch. She expected to see Anna slam into the hard wood but instead Anna disappeared into the tree once again. This time appearing back above Elsa but launched into the air from a different portal in a different branch.

She was so focused on Anna that Elsa didn't see the branch her own body was about to slam into. She felt her back hit the hard surface and winced at the pain erupting on her spine. It was as if the tree had a will of its own and was determined to keep the girls apart.

Desperation gripped her body as she watched Anna tumble through the air.

"I have had enough of this!"

Elsa closed her eyes, closed her fists, and wrapped her arms around her body. She focused her power around her and swung her arms wide, casting a blast of frozen energy in all directions. Almost instantaneously, the branches around her froze in place becoming solid arms of ice.

Anna was still falling and had now passed Elsa, getting closer and closer to the ground. Elsa propelled herself downward as she reached her hand out desperate to catch her friend.

"I'm not going to make it…"

She refocused her power.

Anna had tears in her eyes from the wind rushing past as her body fell hundreds of feet toward the ground. Through the blurry vision she could make out snow falling all around her. A concentrated vortex of snowflakes twisted around her, advancing toward the ground below.

Then she felt comforting arms wrap around her waist. Elsa twisted their bodies so that her own would break any of the fall that her snow would fail at.

They landed in a mountain of fresh powder.

* * *

"Anna, are you ok?"

"Ya. I think I survived. Are you ok Els?"

"My back feels bruised, but otherwise I'm fine.… Anna?"

"Yes Elsa?"

"You can get off of me now."

"Hmm? Oh, jeez I'm so sorry!"

The snow had melted away revealing the two women lying on the ground, Elsa on her back and staring up at Anna lying on top of her. Anna quickly got to her feet and extended an arm to help Elsa up.

"Who was that girl?"

"I don't know. But she knew about me. She had seen me before. And she knew about Eiki. She gave me a message from him."

"What kind of message?"

"He said that I am ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"I don't know. To leave the forest? I'm not sure."

"Well what she told me was totally useless."

"What did she say to you?"

"She just told me 'try not to fall'. I think it was some kinda joke. It almost seems like she could control those branches like she was messing with us."

"Maybe. She was unsettling to say the least."

"I'll say."

They dusted themselves off and inspected their map. There was no sign of the world tree on it. Anna suspected they had gotten lost. They tried to find the entrance they originally came out of but the disorienting experience in the tree made them completely unsure of where they ended up on the ground. They didn't see any entrance around them. Elsa scoffed at the idea of returning to the tree to get a better view of their surroundings.

Just as they had decided on a direction to walk, the ground beneath them gave way. Both women fell through the dirt and dried leaves, bouncing off of smooth rocks below and landing in a sludge.

"Again, with the falling! A girl can't catch a break."

They were in a pitch-black cavern. Bruni was about to oblige them with a light when Elsa stopped him.

"Oh god, what is that awful smell?" Anna was holding her nose, with tears returning to her eyes from the stench. She made a few attempts at walking and found her feet hampered by the thick sludge she was knee deep in.

"I reaalllly don't want to think about what I'm stepping in."

"Just imagine if you were barefoot."

"Oh god Elsa."

Elsa extended her palm and summoned a large snowflake. She breathed magical life into it and it began to glow with a soft blue hue. It lifted up off of her palm and danced around them in the air. She extended her power and increased the light so that they could see their surroundings.

Anna really wished she didn't know what she was stepping in.

* * *

"Ok, I feel like this is becoming a recurring thing with me, and I'm really embarrassed and kind of ashamed that this is apparently a defining trait that I have, but I really, really feel like puking."

"In this situation, Anna, you would be justified."

The light from the magic snowflake extended all around them. They could now see that the smooth rocks they had tumbled down were in fact columns of bones. The sludge they were standing in was a river of decay. A viscous stew of brown, red, and green fluids speckled with oily fat deposits. The ashen bone trees were draped in leaves of rotting muscle and sinew. Their noses were filled with a putrid cocktail of sulfur and methane.

"Bruni, be careful. If you ignite, you'll engulf this entire cave in flames."

The amphibian swallowed hard and receded back into her platinum hair.

The slurry began to undulate around them. Building up into melodic waves crashing against their thighs.

"This. Is. Disgusting."

Something was churning the stew. The waves grew larger. Through the corner of her eye Anna saw movement behind Elsa. What looked like an oncoming wave of blood, bile and feces grew and grew until the viscid surface broke at the crescent spilling over a bulbous, squishy, white, pulsating membrane. At the center of the undulating mass was a hole, its circumference lined with spiny teeth.

"Holy MAGGOTS!"

Elsa turned and saw with disbelief at the massive corpse-eating creature rising out of the slime.

"Elsa! Freeze it! Freeze it! Dear God freeze that thing!"

"I don't want to kill it! It's just eating!"

"Ya and we're next on the menu!"

Then their own feet began to rise in the air. Elsa could feel her toes sink into the soft skin of another maggot lying beneath them as it too rose out of its meal.

As their feet became free from the muck, Elsa ran over and wrapped an arm around Anna's waist.

"Hold on!"

Using her free hand, she conjured an icy rope and flung it onto a towering pillar of bone above them and then swung their bodies off of the massive maggot. Instead of climbing up the rope, Elsa simply used her power to retract it, pulling them up high above the rotting feast below.

She pulled them up onto a curved portion of the bone tree. Anna feebly attempted to knock the death off of her clothes and hair. Elsa increased the brightness on her magical lantern and gazed out at the horizon before them. As far as their eyes could see was a landscape made of a single decomposing corpse. Giant maggots covered the ground in the hundreds. The air was thick with a fog of noxious vapors.

Anna stood next to her and asked, "What is all this?"

Elsa was too preoccupied with searching for a way out to hear the question. If they stayed too long in the fumes they would likely pass out and be absorbed by the filth. She looked up to find the hole they had fallen through, but any sign of it was covered by the world tree's shifting roots.

Elsa closed her eyes, raised her right hand over her head, palm toward the ceiling, fingers spread wide. She called forth a flock of dazzling snowflakes emanating out of her outstretched hand and flying in every direction. Dozens, then hundreds of snowy stars danced across the cavern seeking a way out.

She opened her eyes.

"That way." She pointed in front of her and all of the stars converged to form a lighted path before them. She stepped out from their bony perch and a bridge of ice formed under her feet.

"Lead the way. I can not wait to get out of this place." Anna said with more than eagerness in her voice.

They followed the illuminated path before them. They started to feel dizzy from the gases and quickened their pace.

"Elsa, I think I'm starting to get delirious. I feel like the cave is humming."

"It's not you. The cave _is_ humming."

"What could it be?"

"I don't know but it's getting louder. I don't want to stay and find out."

The humming grew so loud that the ice bridge began to quiver. It was followed by a discord of clacking noises. The girls turned to see the source.

"Elsa…It's a giant, fucking, wasp."

The winged insect was solid black and the size of a horse. It was much smaller than the maggots, but it still went about attacking and consuming the clumsy larvae. Stabbing it with a stinger the size of a spear.

"Please tell me you have no misgivings about freezing that thing."

The wasp sensed the movement of the girls and hovered toward them. Without a word, Elsa reached her hands out in front of her and blasted the insect with a concentrated blizzard, freezing it and causing it to fall into the gore to be consumed by its former sustenance.

Then the humming grew louder.

"We need to run. Now."

A swarm of giant stinging insects filled the cavern. Attacking and consuming any unsuspecting maggot in their path. Hundreds of them sensed the fresher meat trying to escape and pursued. Elsa blasted them with freezing gusts, one after the other, dozens at a time but the swarm was relentless.

"Hurry! We're almost there!"

Anna could see the lighted path ahead of them leading to an opening in the cave. She ran as fast as she could, Elsa trailing behind trying to keep the insects at bay while still extending the bridge ahead of them. She was starting to lose concentration, her mind becoming dizzy from the vapors and the exertion.

Anna turned and saw the pale figure stumble. She stopped and grabbed Elsa, propping her up on her feet. A stinger came flying toward them just as their ice bridge shattered causing them to fall back into the gore. They were mere feet from the small tunnel, but the sludge hampered their movement.

With all of her strength, Anna threw Elsa into the tunnel. She then waded through the muck as the humming descended upon her. She could feel the rush of air from the beating wings on top of her. Then she felt a chill from an icy rope wrapping around her body. From the tunnel, Elsa pulled the rope with all of her power, yanking the red head out of the pool of entrails and into the tunnel beside her. She immediately raised her hands and sealed the opening with a wall of ice several feet thick.

For a few seconds, the humming beat against the door of ice but then gave up and returned to feast on other prey.

The girls lay there, side by side, breathing heavy sighs of relief.

"Well….That…was fun."

They both laughed at the absurdity.

* * *

After their respite, the women walked down this new tunnel they discovered. It was a much smaller tunnel than anything the dwarves had made. More natural in its structure. Anna was inspecting the damage to their supplies.

"I really don't want to eat anything in our bag anymore. The poor chocolate..."

They trudged along the seemingly endless tunnel for hours with no food left in their supplies. Luckily, Elsa was an endless supply of water. She would conjure some snow into Annas hands which she would drink from. Still their exhaustion and hunger was starting to take its toll.

"Elsa… I think… I see an exit… !"

Anna starts jogging down the tunnel as much as her fatigued legs would carry her.

"Anna slow down… You don't know where that leads to."

Before Anna had time to process the words she fell out of the tunnel, ten feet onto the dirt surface below. Elsa popped her head out from the hole in the wall to stare down at the collapsed tangle of auburn braids lying on the floor.

"You know, maybe you should listen to that warning the girl gave you."

Anna groaned. "Bite me, snow girl."

Elsa landed on her feet next to Anna. They were in another hollowed out mountain. This one is smaller than the last, including a much smaller tree growing in the center. This tree had a full canopy of green leaves spreading out from a central trunk which was carved into someone's house.

A stream flowed next to the tree, complete with a water wheel. Some kind of goat-like animals grazed in the surrounding grass.

"Els, someone lives here."

"Judging by the size, I'd say it's a dwarven house."

The girls slowly walked toward the tree house.

A figure came out of the little door. He was unlike any dwarf they had seen yet. His white hair and beard were arranged in an intricate display of braids. His shirt was sleeveless, displaying disproportionately large arms. Instead of spindly little legs he was built stockier, like a wild boar.

He spied the girls walking toward him and his face turned as pale as a ghost at the sight, and smell, of these two seemingly undead women walking toward him.

"Odin's balls, not again. Away with you! Foul draugr!" He reached into his doorway and pulled out a great, double bladed axe.

Anna tried to diffuse the situation. "Wait! We're not… whatever it was you called us!"

The muscular dwarf charged with surprising speed and launched into the air, his battle axe arcing down on their heads.

Elsa summoned her glacial shield to easily deflect the blow, however her fatigue caused her to falter to one knee.

"By Ymir… Isskjoldr…" The dwarf looked in shock and awe and dropped his axe as he bent down on his own knee.

"Forgive me, Lady Isskjoldr… I didn't know it was you. I thought you were the undead!"

"It's ok…I know we both look pretty undead right now."

Anna chimed in. "We just swam through a corpse!"

The dwarf looked at them with surprise and horror on his face.

"You traveled through Nidhoggr… I do not envy your journey."

"I'll say. My name is Anna by the way. It sounds like you know of Elsa already. Even though I also helped with the whole troll thing. Just saying."

The dwarf looked very apologetic.

"Forgive my rudeness, Isskjoldr-Felagi."

Elsa translated. "He's basically calling you my companion."

"Not exactly a distinguished title but I guess I'll take it."

"My name is Andvari. Welcome to my humble hovel."

On the verge of collapse, the companion inquired to their new host, "I don't mean to impose… but do you have anything to eat? Or someplace I can wash myself off?"

"Of course! Of course! Please, make use of my stream while I make you some food.

* * *

"This stream is a little… open don't you think?" Anna said as they stood along the bank that ran next to the tree house.

"I can help with that although I don't know how much dwarves really care."

Elsa summoned a simple set of opaque, walls between the stream and the house.

Anna hopped into the stream and began getting undressed and undoing her frazzled braids. She looked over her shoulder and saw that even though Elsa had created a barrier between them and the house, she had not created a barrier between themselves.

_She… She's… what is she…why did she?... naked… she's totally… her dress just vanished in thin air! God that skin… Her back is so smooth, and muscular, and perfect. The lines of her shoulder blades… the curves of her lower back… Anna you're drooling. You're oogling. You're filthy… I'm filthy! Wash yourself girl!_

Anna dunked her entire body into the cold stream trying to hide the flaming red of her face. Her head was completely submerged.

_Wow this water is so clear. So, refreshing. Hey look. Feet. Not my feet. That means… oh god they're walking toward me. Please, please tell me she made a new dress._

Anna's crimson face burst out of the water gasping for air. Elsa was standing in front of her, still wringing out her newly washed, unbraided hair. She did not recreate her dress, but instead had summoned what amounted to crystalline undergarments. Similar to her outer garments, the ice crystals seemed to blend seamlessly into her skin. They were simple, yet elegant blueish-white panties and a strapless bra hugging a shapely bosom that made Annas own petite bust jealous.

_Well it's not a dress but at least it's something. Boy is it something._

Elsa looked at Anna, still sitting in the shallow stream.

"Would you… like some help?" She said hesitantly.

"YES."

_NO._

Elsa knelt down in the water behind Anna. She started dripping water down her freckled shoulders and back, massaging the filth and fatigue away. Cool, gentle fingers trickling along her skin. Anna couldn't keep her eyes from fluttering in their bliss.

_Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh fuck._

Delicate fingers began working their way into her knotted muscles. Thumbs twisting around her shoulder blades. Sliding up and down the middle of her back. They slowly made their way up to the base of her neck. Soothing fingers draped over her shoulders rubbing into her collarbone. Dancing their way across her neckline.

"I'm not really sure if I know what I'm doing," said the angelic voice in Anna's ears.

_I definitely know what you're doing. You're making me go crazy. Punzie was good at massages, but this… this is heaven._

"Is this something normal girls do together?" Elsa asked from over Anna's shoulder.

 _This is something girls should always do together._ Anna thought to herself.

"Kinda… I guess."

"I've never had another girl to do this kind of stuff with… It's all very new to me."

"Well, let's see. This would be girlfriends lesson number three; I think. Lesson one: Braiding each other's hair. Lesson two: taking care of a girl on a hangover. This is lesson three. Bathing together. Totally normal in my book."

"Oh, I see." Elsa looked as if she was concentrating for an upcoming exam.

_Anna, you're such a perv._

Elsa's thumbs began to travel lower down her back. Dipping into the water to caress above her tailbone. Her other fingers wrapping around her thin waist. Slowly reaching toward her pelvis.

_Whoa whoa whoa! I have to stop this. I am getting way too worked up. God she's good at this and she doesn't even know what she's doing to me! I just want to lean back… feel her soft breasts against my back… my fingers under the running water tracing up my thigh…_

"Elsa…I think… I think I'm good. I can take care of… the rest. Um… Could you give me a minute? I should… wash my clothes. I can't just make them vanish and reappear like new every time they get dirty you know!"

"Oh ok. I'll let you finish up then."

Anna watched as Elsa stepped out of the stream onto the bank. Her lustful gaze couldn't help but trace over every inch of her body as she used her magic to freeze the water on her skin into grains of ice that fell to the ground leaving her ivory body dry and pristine. With a wave of her hand, her normal, long sleeved, off shoulder dress and tight, ankle length pants returned out of thin air across her lithe frame. She walked around the makeshift ice walls leaving Anna to her attempt at a cold shower.

* * *

After Anna had gotten herself back together, she walked over to the front of the dwarven tree house. She saw a delightful setup. A tree stump table with three, hand carved wooden stools spread around it. The table had an impeccable setting with wooden plates and utensils evenly positioned with a large roast of…something in the center. On one side was a loaf of freshly baked rye bread as well as a pot, presumably for tea.

The other two were seated at the table. Andvari was meticulously inspecting Elsa's shield. Anna noticed that he was now wearing a well-worn leather apron. Elsa had successfully managed to recreate her now favorite braid.

"Magnificent craftsmanship my lady. A traditional skjoldr by design, but it would rival any dwarven made magical artifact."

Anna sat down at the third stool and didn't wait to dig into the spread before her. With a mouthful of food, she decided to join in the conversation.

"You know Andvari, you're not like any other dwarf we've met so far."

He nodded his bearded head knowingly.

"Yes, I'm sure my lady. You probably only ever saw steinn dvergr. The ones who mine for gems. They are the most common at the surface. Not to be confused with bjarg dvergr, the stonemason dwarves, or those like myself. The smidr dvergr, the smiths."

"I didn't realize that your jobs would make you so different."

"You see, menskr vary depending on where you're from usually, thus creating cultural differences. You both are Norsfreyr while Lady Snow is Bayefreyr, for example. Relatives to be sure, but different. We dwarves differentiate ourselves via our craft."

"So, what do you make?" Anna said with another mouthful of bread.

"Oh, I'm long retired. Once upon a time I specialized in making rings."

"Rings? Isn't that a form of jewelry?"

"Rings are made of metal my dear, thus they are the domain of the smiths. The steinn's don't make jewelry. They mine stones. _We_ make the jewelry. Although your confusion stems from the fact that menskr put stones into your jewelry whereas dwarves typically do not.

"Tell me, Freyr, how did you end up here?"

This time Elsa spoke while Anna sipped a soothing herbal tea made from nettles.

"Well, we are quite lost. We are trying to cross the mountains and go south. We are traveling out of the Norslands."

"I see, I see. When you exit the mountains, you will have to cross the Gandvik into the Southern Isles of the Norslands. Then you will find yourselves in the kingdoms of the Diutlands."

"Wait, wait, wait. We have to cross the Southern Isles?" Anna asked with new panic on her face.

"The Southern Isles is the southernmost kingdom of the Norslands." Andvari said, nodding his head.

"Uggghhh. It's a good thing my groom-to-be has never met me. Although my face is plastered all over the castle, and I'm sure my mom has described me in _great_ detail to him."

Elsa reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Annas.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine. Judging by the map, the Southern Isles is a small kingdom. We can probably cross it in less than a day."

The panic was instantly washed away from the freckled face.

"Frankly, you should be more worried about the exit of the mountains."

"Oh? Why is that? Are we not going to exit through another dwarven settlement?"

"No, freyr. I am probably the southernmost dwarf you will see. We all receded into the northern mountains. Especially during the dark times."

"The dark times? You mean like the dark ages?" Anna asked.

"Yes, you see, hundreds of years ago, Norsr warriors invaded Svartalfheim from the south. They wanted our riches and resources. Dvergr are not the best fighters. We are craftsmen. We blocked the southern tunnels, abandoned the settlements we had, effectively cutting ourselves off from all but the most northern kingdoms of menskr until even there we faded into myth. But the southern mountains are filled with death. Hordes of Norsemen making futile attempts to dig their way to us, died in those mountains."

"How come no one told us that in Kaupstaur?"

"This is ancient history. No one up there remembers. Or they think it's another myth, like ourselves. But I am here. And I have seen them. The _draugr_."

Anna looked at Elsa with the question written on her face. Elsa looked back and responded. "The undead. That is what he thought we were when we showed up covered in rot."

"Those men lived and died a cursed existence. They still roam those caves, endlessly searching for their greed."

"Is there no other way out of the mountain?" Anna was hopeful the dwarf would have an alternative suggestion.

"I'm afraid not. And we've sealed the tunnels. There's no way to get in or out from the south anymore."

"But we're so close! There has to be a way."

Elsa sat there in silent contemplation as Anna sulked at the thought that they had wasted so much time traveling to a dead end.

"If there is no way around it, I guess we have no choice then but to go back."Elsa finally said with a defeated tone in her voice.

"Yes, it is probably best. Stay here and rest for the night and I will guide you back to the north."

"Thank you Andvari. We appreciate all your help."

* * *

**Later That Night**

The women had set up camp outside of the tree. The house being too small for either one of them to rest comfortably inside. Andvari still furnished them with comfortable bedding despite lying on the ground. A small campfire, provided by Bruni, lay in between them. Anna was already fast asleep and snoring away. Elsa lay on her back, eyes staring up into the ceiling of the hollow mountain. She drifted slowly asleep thinking of how best to continue their journey.

* * *

_I can smell the sea. Salt sticking to my skin. Spray cascading against my body as I stand on the rocky shore of the North Sea. Wind entwined with my hair behind my back. I stand alone against the waves._

_**I seeeeeeeeeeeeeeee you.** _

_What was that?! Who's there?!_

_My head twists and turns around me. I see nothing. I stand, singular on this rock surrounded by the turbulent, dark water._

_**I feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel you.** _

_Who are you!? SHOW YOURSELF!_

_**You're not the only one with maaaaagggiiiiccc here girl…** _

_A figure rises out of the water. Black and oozing like tar._

_What are you? How have you invaded my dreams?_

_**I know… what you are.** _

_What do you know of me?_

_**Seeeeeeeeeeek me out girl. You know how to find me. You can seeeeeeeeeeeennse my presence just as I seeeensed yours.** _

_The ooze is spreading toward me. It's crawling on the water… like hundreds of fingers creeping along the surface._

_They've reached my feet._

_They're crawling up my legs._

_Sticky, twitching, cloying, clawing, tapping against my skin._

_Stroking up my thighs. Probing up my chest. Pressing into my body…_

_**Hehhehhehheeehehhhheeeheheeeheheheh** _

_His laugh is choking on itself, black spittle spewing out of an invisible orifice._

_I'm consumed by the seeping fingers covering my body. I try to scream but my voice is gone. It's been swallowed down my throat, forced inside by a gelatinous thumb pressing into my mouth._

_I can feel the endless fingers penetrate into me. I'm powerless against this invasion of my soul._

"Elsa…?"

_I can feel… heat. Like a raging inferno cleansing the plague that's devoured my mind._

"ELSA!"

_**Find me girl….** _

_His voice is fading away…_

"Elsa! Wake up!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary
> 
> Issburin - old norse for ice born.
> 
> Fake Words
> 
> Bayefreyr - an amalgamation of things. Baye refers to Bayer which is my fictional interpretation of the spelling of people from the Herzogtum Bayern which itself is a fictional interpretation of the 'Duchy of Bavaria' Bavarians are called Bayern in the real world. I just left out a letter. Freyr is a real world old norse/ scandanavian way to refer to a lady. It would eventually morph into modern day versions like fraulein in german.
> 
> Diutlands - Fictional term for the kingdoms that would make up the equivalent of the various germanic kingdoms. Taken from the old german Diutisc which loosely translates to 'of the people'. This is why the name for Germany in german is Deutschland.
> 
> If you enjoyed this story and want to be a part of the community, join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at /TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL) or search for the Elsanna Shenanigans tumblr for a link.


	4. Episode 3: The Lynx and The Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa must face the dark magic buried deep within the mountain.

The air is eviscerated by high pitched screams. Desperate cries for help shattering the nerves and piercing the soul.

"Elsa! Wake up!"

_God, what is happening? Her screams are splitting my ears. I'm trying to shake her awake, but nothing is working! Her body is thrashing around on the ground; I have to keep her from bashing her head against the floor. God, I'm so cold… I can see my breath in front of my face, and I'm starting to not feel my fingers… She's erected some kind of… ball of ice around us. The air is getting even colder…_

"Ymir's hairy buttocks! There's a blizzard inside my mountain!"

"Andvari! Help me!"

_I hear a thud against the ice. His axe can't break through._

The screams grow louder. They last longer. A high-pitched shriek slicing through the biting air, never ceasing, as if it is sustained by pain itself.

_Her screams…. I don't know what to do..._

"Elsa… It's ok. I'm here. I'm right here. I won't leave you no matter what."

_I can't feel my feet._

"Please, Elsa. Hear my voice."

_I have her in the warmest embrace I can muster under present circumstances. My arms are wrapped so tight around her shaking body… She's starting to cough on her screams._

_I hope she can hear me. I know she can hear me. I whisper into her ear, willing my voice to reach her._

"Elsa…. come back to me…"

* * *

Everything is still. Rivers of snow frozen in midair. Hail hovering in place, mid descent. Andvari is standing with his axe still in hand, staring mouth agape at the subterranean blizzard unaffected by times pull. A snowflake hangs as if on a spider's web above his large nose.

The large sphere of smooth ice, unscratched by his axe swings, begins to melt away. It falls into a puddle around the two women lying there on the ground.

Elsa lies in Anna's lap. Her eyes stare into the other girls with absolute terror.

_God's… what have I done?_

"Anna…"

"Thank God, Elsa! You're ok! I was so worried about you…"

Anna grabs her in a tight hug, tears swelling in both pairs of eyes.

"Anna…. I almost…. killed you."

"What? No, Elsa… You were clearly being attacked or something and I would never leave you like that!"

Tears were pouring over faint, freckles. They sat there in each other's embrace. Unbeknownst to both of them, the frostbite in Anna's limbs had receded, as if absorbed by the surface of pale skin.

The magical storm vanished as if it never existed.

* * *

**Later**

"This is foolhardy Isskjoldr!"

"I must face it. Whatever _it_ is."

"He almost killed you both. In your sleep!"

Elsa and Anna were packing up their gear. Fresh provisions provided, reluctantly, by their dvergr host.

"Exactly. He knows of me now. He won't stop unless I confront him. He felt almost…. _Intoxicated_ by me. He could sense my magic, and now I can sense his. Like he is broadcasting his location to me."

Elsa's shoulders gave an uncharacteristic shiver at the recollection.

"It is a trap, Isskjoldr! Come with me back to the north where we will be safe."

Fear still clung to her normally steel eyes. Running to safety was tempting. But she knew it would be futile. She wanted nothing more than to not face that nightmare again. Her fear only grew when she looked at the ginger haired girl standing beside her.

"Anna, you should go with him…"

"Elsa. This is going to be the second, and LAST, time we have this talk. I. Will. Never. _Leave._ You. Period. Unless I get really annoying and you get sick of me and you tell me to take a hike because you can't stand the sight of me anymore, or because I smell bad, or because I'm going to puke on you, again. Or you know if we have to use the bathroom or something… or"

"Ok, ok, Anna. I get it. I'm stuck with you."

"You know you wouldn't want it any other way."

They gave each other light smiles, tempering their fear. Gaining some of that steel back in their eyes.

Andvari walked over to Anna with a small, leather pouch in his calloused hands.

"Freyr Anna, since you both are hell bent on this treacherous endeavor, I beseech you a gift."

He opened the small pouch to reveal a silver ring.

"Oh my. This is awkward. You know we just met, and technically I'm kind of engaged already."

"Do not confuse this with your silly menskr rituals. This is a magic ring. Andvaraheit. Since you possess no magic, unlike Isskjoldr, this ring will protect you. It can nullify most magic."

"Nullify magic?"

Anna takes the simple, silver ring.

"Not very flashy is it."

"Why must you embellish everything. Rings should be appreciated for their pure form. This is pure mithril. Indestructible. And imbued with my own magic runes which are invisible unless disturbed by foreign spells."

Anna puts the ring on, expecting it to be nowhere near her size. Amazingly before her eyes the ring sized itself to the perfect circumference. She inspected it quizzically.

"How do I know if it really works?"

Without a word, Elsa threw a magic snowball at the freckled face. It dissipated in thin air before making contact with the stupefied girl as she glared at its thrower.

"Hey! That's not…hey it worked!" she exclaimed with wide eyed excitement.

Elsa looked at the dwarf and said, "What would happen if I wear it?"

"Nothing Isskjoldr. It attunes to the wearer. It will nullify _foreign_ spells, but if you are the wearer your own magic will remain."

"Fascinating." She said as she inspected the silver band on the lightly freckled finger.

"Thank you Andvari. For everything. Don't worry about us. We'll kick this nightmare's ass and be out of these mountains in no time!"

She bent down to give the stocky dwarf a hug. Elsa looked at him with regretful eyes.

"If there is any way we can repay you… I've done nothing but damage your home."

"Nonsense! I have hosted the Isskjoldr! And her companion! It warms this old heart to see such _good magic,_ blizzard and all."

"Thank you again. I promise I will find a way to repay your kindness."

The dwarf bowed his head as the women got ready to depart.

"May the Gods light your path."

* * *

Andvari had instructed them to follow the stream out of his hollow. The water led to an opening on the opposite side of the cave than the one they stumbled out of. They walked along the rocky edge of the babbling water, against the gentle, shallow current. There was no illuminated rock or signs of civilization; they were in a purely natural cavern formed by ancient rivers. Andvari had replaced the dwarven lantern that Anna had lost back at Yggdrasil, and Bruni was once again free to light their way sitting on Elsa's outstretched palm.

Anna's footsteps echoed on the wet rock. Elsa's bare feet were discreet as always. As their journey continued, the narrow tunnel started to gradually open up into wider, and wider caverns. The stream was split into several small inlets of running water that curved their way around smoothed stalagmites that began to punctuate the underground landscape.

Elsa casually strolled through the shallow streams, porcelain bare feet unperturbed by the near freezing temperature of the water. Anna skipped her way on top of smooth, wet stone, trying to avoid getting her boots wet, and nearly slipping several times. Her arms waving frantically in circles attempting to keep her balance.

"I don't understand the point of the question." Elsa's soft voice said, barely echoing in the cave like her gentle footsteps.

"The _point_ is that I'm curious! It's not that hard of a question. It's just a color."

"If it's just a color then what does it matter which one is my favorite?"

"Well… what if I want to buy you a new dress and I don't know what color you like?"

"I make my own dresses."

"That's beside the point!"

Anna's voice rang through the cave like afternoon church bells.

"I'm sorry. I've just never thought about it before. How do I know which one is my favorite?"

"That was not a question I ever thought to have to answer. Hmm…."

Anna pointed her index finger into her chin as she closed her eyes in thought. Then nearly slipped into the water, again.

"You seem to talk a lot about clothes when you talk about your favorite color. Does that mean mine is white?"

"I mean… Kind of. But that's not the whole thing. I like wearing green because green is my favorite color. Not the other way around. I'm not sure how to explain. It's just… when you look at that specific color it makes you feel good. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. When I think about why I like green, it reminds me of home; the rolling hills of Arendelle, the pine forests surrounding the city. It reminds me of summer which is my birthday. It conjures happy memories."

Elsa's eyes were focused on the ground before her.

"My memories make me feel… alone."

Anna stopped to look at the dower goddess that was sullenly walking before her in silent contemplation. Without another word, she skipped over and hooked her arm around Elsa's. Polar eyes staring in surprise at the soft red hair suddenly nuzzling into her bare shoulder and pulling her out of her solemn thoughts.

"Hey, you aren't alone anymore. You have me! And don't forget Bruni."

"He doesn't talk nearly as much as you."

"No one talks as much as me."

* * *

It was impossible to determine the time of day this deep in the caves. The girls had decided to camp when they felt it was roughly a day's worth of travel since Andvari's tree house.

Anna woke with a snort. She was lying on her makeshift bedroll, which was on a smooth, flat rock that Bruni had heated up by running around in flaming circles. Drying the moisture off and creating a surprisingly comfortable heated surface. There were no materials to make a sustainable fire, so Bruni slept with Anna to keep her warm.

She groggily turned over to her side and saw Elsa, sitting on a high outcropping overlooking the dozens of streams streaking across the surface of the wide cavern. She had one knee bent up to her chin, her arms were wrapped around, and her other leg dangling in the air off of the rock.

"Did you sleep?" Anna asked as she rubbed the dreariness from her eyes.

"I had to keep watch."

"You should have told me. We can take turns. Here, you sleep, and I'll take watch now."

"That would waste too much time. We should keep moving."

"Are you sure you'll be ok?"

Elsa leaped off the rock into the water below, barely making a splash.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

Anna could not help but worry.

They packed up their camp and continued their journey south. As they made their way through the cavern, it began to echo with a thundering noise.

"It sounds like rushing water." Anna said.

The current in the streams was turning fierce. Babbling rivulets turning into gushing veins breaking across the rocks. The depth of the water grew. The roaring thunder was getting louder. They exited the tunnel and found themselves looking at a wide lake with a magnificent waterfall cascading into it. Rapids breaking across the surface.

"Wow. An underground waterfall. You don't see that every day."

Elsa summoned more illuminated snowflakes to inspect their new cave.

"I don't see any tunnels around the lake."

"Elsa, look up there!"

She tracked where the cyan eyes were looking. At the top of the waterfall was a massive stone archway.

"Signs of the dwarves. We must have reached one of the abandoned settlements."

"Great! Now, how do we get up there…"

As Anna was speaking, Elsa already started to walk out onto the middle of the lake, freezing the water with every step. She walked up to the gushing waterfall. The spray pebbling across her skin, turning to ice on contact and rolling down her curves. With a single hand raised, she commanded the water to stop. Ice overpowered liquid as it traveled up the length of the vertical river all the way to the peak and continued along its course until the current halted in its tracks.

Then both hands soared through the air, sculpting her new medium as if clay in her palms. The rough and jagged waterfall morphed and melded to her invisible touch. Elsa had closed her eyes from the concentration required of her craft. Anna watched from the frozen lake at the artistry unfolding before her.

Where once there was a torrential downpour of raw energy, now stood a pristine, flawless, spiral staircase. Not a single crack or blemish marred the blue surface.

"Whoa… Now _that_ you don't see every day…"

"Are you coming?" Elsa asked from halfway up the stairs.

Anna shook the amazement from her head and ran up the stairs after her.

At the top of the staircase, they found themselves standing on a now frozen canal which ran through a long derelict dwarven city. Water had eroded much of the stony surfaces of the buildings and roads. Signs were smoothed over, walls had collapsed. Anything not made of rock had long since deteriorated into dust.

They walked along the bank of the canal, inspecting the abandoned buildings as they walked by.

"It doesn't look like anyone has lived here in hundreds of years. Not even signs of any animals." Anna said as she peaked into a hollowed-out husk of a stubby dwarven home.

"I don't see any signs of a battle either. It's like they packed up everything one day and left." Elsa ran her hand along the remains of a dilapidated wall. Her palm coated in a fine layer of dirt.

"Hey Elsa,"

"Hmm?"

"I've been wondering, why did you make a shield? Why not a cool sword or something to lop off that troll's head?"

"My shield lopped off his arm."

"Fair point."

"I don't actually know. I was concentrating so much on generating the power into such a specific point that I wasn't thinking at all about what form it would take. The magic just molded itself off of my feelings."

"Where do you put that thing anyway?" Anna said as she peered around Elsa's body trying to find a hiding place big enough for the round object. Pulling at her skirt as if to find it hidden underneath.

"Stop that! It's not anywhere you can find. Now that I know how to make it, I can summon it at will."

"What about the diamonds?"

Elsa pulled out a tiny pouch, glistening in the light from Anna's dwarven lantern. Inside she revealed a small handful of fine diamond dust. Anna took a peek inside and then lifted her eyebrows at the blonde woman and gave her a mischievous grin.

"Now where do you hide _that_ hmm? I don't see any pockets on that dress of yours."

"That's none of your business." The taller woman said as she turned her head from the coy little grin and placed the diamonds back in their hiding place.

They had left the area of the canal and wandered deeper into the ruins. The air was stale and old. Detritus that had not been disturbed in centuries was kicked up by their footsteps.

"Elsa, how do we know where we're going?"

The blonde woman was walking determinedly through the abandoned streets.

"I can sense him. The magical trail that he's left for me to follow. The presence grows stronger the closer I get."

Anna swallowed down her trepidation, hard, as she followed Elsa down the dark stone road.

They neared the edge of the abandoned city. Elsa extended her starry snowflakes in front of them to reveal a massive gateway. It was nearly fifty feet tall, reaching high into the ceiling of the cave, and wide enough to fit four wagons side by side at once. It was intricately carved with eroded designs that showed a diorama of what appeared to be symbols of humans as if saying 'through these doors lay the human realm'. The gates were barred by five, thick, stone columns going across. How the dwarves got such massive chunks of stone into the air, the women had no clue.

Elsa reached out her hand to touch the bottom most column. A layer of ice emanated from her palm to surround the pillar. She pulled back and shot rays of magic into the remaining four. They each had a layer of ice spread across their surface. Once every pillar was fully encased, she flung her hand to the side, invisible tethers pulling the frozen stone away like bolts on a door. They groaned against the movement, having not needed to endure such exertion in ages, and crashed, harmlessly, onto the floor.

Now the ivory skinned woman placed both of her hands on either door. They would not budge under any amount of muscle so she, once again, called forth her magic to aid her. Tendrils of ice dancing across the surface of the massive door so that she could use the strength of her magic to force it open. Even with the aid of magic, the door protested. Elsa pushed harder and the door slowly began to budge. A tiny crack making itself known. The doors start to wail in their torment. Rock grinding against stone, forcing their way against each other's abrasive surface.

After the seemingly prolonged struggle, a gap wide enough for the women to pass through had been opened. Elsa was slightly out of breath, and surprised that she felt as drained as she did.

"Elsa… are you ok? Maybe you should rest…"

"I'm fine! Sleep is the last thing I need right now."

Elsa was first through the gap, returning once more, to the realm of humans. As soon as her foot stepped through, it crunched on something lining the floor. She held Bruni up higher so that he could shine some more light on what lay on the other side of the gateway.

Anna peaked over her shoulder to get a better look through the gap that Elsa stood in. Her hand instinctively raised to her mouth as her eyes grew wide at the site before her.

"God, no wonder it was so hard to get the gate open…"

They found themselves stepping into a mountain of corpses. Desiccated bodies piled up against the door in the hundreds. Ashen bones lined the floor mingled with tattered scraps of armor and long abandoned weapons. The unintended burial mound reached high above their heads, almost to the top of the gate.

Anna looked at the site with inquiring horror.

"It doesn't look like they were trying to invade so much as… trying to escape something…"

Anna could barely make out the designs carved on this side of the gateway. Similar scenes as the ones depicting human civilization except these displayed images of stocky men crafting exquisite jewelry and mining for hidden treasures. Instead of erosion having worn their features, these carvings were worn by what could only be described as scratches. Thousands and thousands of nails clawing against rock desperate to dig their way to safety.

"Maybe these ancient Norsr warriors awoke something in the mountain. Something that blocked the way they came…" That fear was slowly creeping its way through Elsa's soft voice.

She continued to walk, past the gates and past the wall of death, Anna slowly following behind.

* * *

They found themselves in yet another cavern, but this one was much different than any of the previous ones they had traveled through. This was a vast, endless expanse of empty space. No stalagmites or stalactites, no dwarven pillars, no ruins. They could not see the walls or the ceiling. Under their feet was a perfectly flat, smooth surface extending into pitch black darkness.

 _What kind of cave is this?_ Elsa pondered as she precariously stepped forward into the blackness.

The light from the amphibian sitting in her palm was completely swallowed by the bottomless orifice they had entered.

Elsa took another step, then another, and then… her delicate footstep was replaced by a splash as the naked sole fell into an invisible liquid that blended seamlessly with the smooth stone of the floor.

"Elsa!"

_What?! I can't… breath… I fell in the water? How is that….AHG something is pulling my hair. Something is dragging me down!_

She tries to open her eyes and sees what can only be described as putrefied, undead Norsr warriors. Unlike the bodies at the entrance, these still have remnants of skin and muscle hanging off their bones. Their eyes glow with an eerie, blue, shine puncturing Elsa's own blue irises with sudden fear.

_Argh….I feel them on me. Fingers grasping at my hair, my arms, my legs. Not again, not those fingers again! SO mmany, fingers scratching at my soul. Get them off me! GET THEM OFF ME!_

She summons her powers, to freeze everything around her to escape the prodding and jabbing fingers.

And then… nothing. No ice.

_I can't freeze them. I can't form my ice!_

Panic overtakes her. Her vision is blurred by bony fingers tracing their way across her face. Ribbons of loose skin touching her neck. Probing appendages grasping at every inch of her body seeking fresh meat for themselves. Her mouth, keeping the last essence of life within her lungs, is being assaulted, a single fingernail scratching at her lips with an urgency to penetrate her being and fill her with these cursed waters.

And then…. *FLASH*

Her eyes are blinded by a sudden light. Heat envelopes around her. The limbs shrink away in revulsion just enough for her to break free of their grasp. When the white light clears her vision, she sees its source.

 _Bruni!_ The aquatic salamander is emitting an underwater fire, blazing around the desperate girl, allowing her enough time to swim to the surface and escape this invasive torrent.

Her head launches out of the water, hair flinging backwards, water spraying in an arc behind. Desperate gasps of life escape her wary lips. Her hands cling to any purchase of solid rock that they can find and pull her body out from the depths.

"Get off me creepy zombie dirt bags!"

 _Anna!_ Eyes, blurry from the flash of light, trace the sound of the fiery redhead to see her being surrounded by more undead warriors. She managed to thwart two, then three with well placed, still surprisingly strong, right hooks landing into decayed skulls. But more were rising out of the water.

 _How could my powers fail me now!?_ Elsa shook her hands as if trying to shake the magic out of them. Instantaneously she felt the familiar surge of raw power course through her veins. She stands to her feet and launches herself toward the striking firebrand. A new flash of light beams through the air as her glacial shield materializes on her right arm, glittering diamond cascading across its surface.

Platinum hair and ivory skin became a blizzard in human form. Reanimated corpses were thrown, crushed, and split into pieces. Fear and panic had given way to rage.

Elsa was mad.

She pulverized one skeleton against her shield, decapitated another, then a bare foot kicked a third clear across the cavern as her left-hand blasted waves of icy spears impaling a dozen undead in an instant. Finally, she slices straight up the middle of another, would be, attacker, ripping it in half.

Anna knocked a lower jaw clean off, the toothless bone skittering across the rocky floor into the water. She circled around herself, fists raised ready for another round. When no further challengers appeared, she managed to see Elsa, standing in the middle of her carnage. Body still tense and poised for a new attack. Her teeth were bared, her eyes cut through their surroundings like a wild animal looking for it's next prey. Her chest heaved back and forth, large gasps of air flowing into her lungs.

It took Anna a few moments for her adrenaline to settle down, and to notice that Elsa was standing there completely naked.

"Elsa… you're…."

"I know."

When she sensed no further threats, the exposed woman straightened her back, and relaxed her stance. Her braid still intact, dangling down the middle of her back. Her shield dissipated into thousands of crystals floating into the ether. Rage, begotten by panic, gave way to confidence. A self-assuredness not impeded by thoughts of shame or decency. Only after she deemed it safe, did she spend the concertation to clothe herself.

Anna stood there and stared, once again impressed by the display of power before her. Then she realized that Elsa was still breathing heavily.

"Elsa… you're tired."

"I'm fine."

"You need sleep…"

"NO. I will not sleep! Not while that _thing_ could attack me again in my dreams!"

"Elsa, you're getting exhausted and we haven't even gotten to him yet! You need to rest!"

"I will rest when I've crushed his skull under my shield!"

Anna reflexively took a step back. This was not the Elsa who stayed with her all night to nurse a hangover. This was the wild woman in the woods, feral eyes staring at her from across a fire. Powerful voice telling her to leave.

But it was still Elsa.

The amazing goddess of snow.

One step back… and ten steps forward.

Anna walked up to the taller woman. Angry cerulean eyes locked with the determined cyan gaze.

"Elsa, wear Andvari's ring. It might block his magic from reaching you."

"No, Anna. That ring is for your protection. I can protect myself."

Anna abruptly grabbed the cool hand of the other woman. Anger replaced by shock and confusion in the icy stare.

"This is not a discussion. You will wear this ring. You will rest. And I will watch over you."

As she said the words, she had taken off the silver ring from her finger and slid it onto the pale skin. The cool touch caused shivers to run up her arm as the metal frosted over, faint runes barely becoming visible for a split second as it adjusted to its new magical host.

_Hey Anna?_

_Yes Anna?_

_You know you just put that ring on her ring finger?_

_Psh, like I would be that obvious and oblivious and… ohmygod I totally just put a ring on her ring finger! Crapcrapcrap! It was an honest mistake I'll say, cause it totally was! Not intentional in any way! She's looking at me… She's looking at the ring… She's…. not reacting other than nodding her head. Maybe she doesn't know about ring fingers? She was raised in a forest…_

"Ok… I'll rest. But only for a little while! Bruni will know when to wake me up. If _anything_ happens… _anything at all_ , wake me."

Bruni, meanwhile, had calmly swam up to the surface of the stone floor and made his way up to Elsa's shoulder.

"Do you think it will be safe here? Near the zombie water? What happened to your clothes anyway?"

As she was saying it, Elsa had already begun constructing a makeshift fort of simple ice walls and transparent windows, with no doors. Enough space for Bruni to keep a fire going for Anna as Elsa settled into a mound of soft, fresh snow.

"I'm not sure. It's like that water is enchanted somehow. I couldn't use my powers at all when I fell in. And my clothes are made of my powers so they must have been dispelled along with the rest of my magic."

"You think it's some kind of dwarven defense, against magical beings attacking them? Maybe that's why this being needs you to get to him. He can't cross this magic-eating lake."

"If that's the case then hopefully it means the dwarves have a way to cross the water from this side."

"Why doesn't it affect those zombie things then?"

"Draugr are not magic. They are restless souls trapped in death. Consumed in life by their greed or malice. Anna, if anything touches this ice, I'll know. If more draugr show up…"

"Don't worry! I'll be standing guard!" Anna gave her a little mock salute.

Elsa responded with a soft smirk. The feral in her eyes softened a bit as her heavy lids already began to drift into slumber.

Anna watched as Elsa's body eased into the pillow of snow. Her breathing settling into a rhythmic pattern. The furrowed creases in her face relaxing slowly. Tense muscles loosening their hold as adrenaline faded from her systems. Anna could not help but admire the strength and beauty lying there before her, yet at the same time she could not help but feel that she wanted to protect her from everything and anything.

_I think I'll leave the ring where it is._

* * *

_Creaking._

_Wood straining against the weight of limitless blue._

_Stretching. Bending. Giving._

_Breaking._

_I hate that sound._

_I'm on a ship._

_I hate ships._

_This isn't like any ship I've ever seen docked at Tronsvik. It's small, narrow but still long. The sides are lined with rows and rows of benches. There are… oars?... sticking out from the sides. A single mast extends from the middle, but there is no sail._

_I appear to be standing at one end. Behind me is a wooden tail curving into the sky._

_The clouds are dark. The sea rages against this foreign presence. The ship pitches up and down with the unsettled waves._

_**Hello, girrrrrrll.** _

_No…._

_The creaking is overtaken by the sound of my panic. I see him. Sitting at the head of a ship. Arms perched on his knees. His shoulders are draped with pelts as well as the head of a lynx nestled on his right breast. He's obscured by shadow. Wait… I can see… teeth smiling at me through the shade._

_How is this possible? The ring should have protected me._

_**Oh? You have a magic ring now do youuu?** _

_What? How…_

_**Your thoughts are not your own here…** _

_How did you get here? How did you invade my dreams again!?_

_**Hehheehehhhhehee** _

_What's so funny?_

_**Girrrrrrllll….We're not in** _ **your** _**dream…..** _

_What?_

_**You're in MINE.** _

_Everything falls. The ship falls. I fall. The sea opened up into a pitch-black void to the underworld swallowing us whole. A sense of desperate weightlessness overtakes me._

_**I'm not the onnnllllyy one who can invade dreeaaaammsssss.** _

_The ship is gone. I look below me and all I see are… teeth… fangs bared,_

_waiting to consume me._

* * *

Elsa bolts upright, eyes wide and quivering with alarm.

"Holy Shit! You scared the crap out of me!" Anna looks as if she jumped and hit her head on the ceiling of their ice fortress from the unexpected movement.

"Elsa, what happened? That was barely an hour. Did he attack again?"

Elsa looks at her hand with the ring sitting on her finger. Her nerves calming down.

"Yes… and no."

"What does that mean?"

"He didn't invade my dreams…. Apparently, I invaded his."

"What? How is that…wait can you do that?"

"No! At least… I never have before…" Worry and confusion flood her arctic features. "It must be some kind of trick. He couldn't reach me because of the ring so he somehow pulled me into his dream…"

Anna nods her head. "That makes sense. So… Now what?"

"We keep going."

"But Elsa.."

"No. _This_ is not a discussion. We keep going. I can handle it."

With that, Elsa stands out of her snowy bed and pulls the ring off her finger, promptly handing it to Anna. Anna feels a tinge of sadness from the gesture but takes the ring and returns it to her own finger.

With a wave of her hand, the icy barriers recede into puddles on the floor.

"Now, about this water…"

Elsa walks, calmly but carefully, to the edge where smooth rock melds to liquid.

_It doesn't affect draugr, but it also didn't affect Bruni… I wonder…_

Elsa bends down and cups a small amount of the water in her hands.

"Elsa, you're not gonna drink that are you? Remember it's zombie water."

"What? Why would I… that's disgusting! No, I have an idea."

Elsa inspects the water sitting in her palms. She points her brows together in concentration. Summoning her powers and focusing them once again like when she created her shield. Slowly, but surely the water starts to grow opaque. Silver-blue vines steadily creeping from the edges toward the center. Her hands start to shake from the effort as if she is trying to hold onto something for dear life. After several moments, she was left with a solid block of ice in her hands.

"It's like some kind of enchanted spring water."

"Spring water?" Anna asked as she walked up next to the other girl, looking at the ice in her hands and poking it with a curious finger. She recoils at the unexpected sting. "Ow! That's really cold. Like even for ice."

"Spring water doesn't freeze except at really low temperatures. On its own it shouldn't keep me from generating ice, but this water somehow melts everything I make unless I freeze it to a point colder than… anything in nature which would take too much of my concentration for a lake of this size."

"Right. And we need to conserve your energy. So… How to get across…"

Anna paced around in circles trying to think of a solution as Elsa sat on the ground in equal contemplation. The blue-green eyes noticed a blinking light in the distance. She stopped and squinted in its direction. She slowly started to walk over and noticed that it was Bruni. He was blinking his flames like a beacon. As she got closer still, she noticed that he was sitting on something.

"Hey Elsa! Look what Bruni found!"

Elsa turned to look at the direction of the beacon. She stood up and walked to catch up to Anna.

When they reached the little fire salamander, he was sitting on a small, somewhat decrepit, rowboat. Anna was immediately inspecting it for lake-worthiness. Jumping up, down, and around it, finding two oars inside. She started to push it into the water. It creaked at the unfamiliar movement it had not felt in a long time.

The creaking made platinum hair on a pale neck stand on end.

"You know, you can help if you want."

Elsa shook off the uneasiness caused by the sound.

"Sorry!" She immediately ran over to help push the ancient boat into the water. Anna gave her a playful smile in return.

The boat was small. Meant to hold two people at most. Both women seated themselves, careful not to rock back and forth. Elsa sat facing forward while Anna sat in front of her, facing behind. Bruni stood on the bow like a tiny captain, who was on fire. Anna took the oars in hand and slowly started to row them out onto the undead waters.

It didn't take long before they found themselves sitting in the middle of absolute nothing. Even with the light from Bruni and the glittering snowflakes, they could not see _anything_. The water was as black as the air. Everything was completely still. Anna felt as if she was rowing in place, absolutely no sense of movement.

"I have absolutely no sense of direction. Not that I have much sense of direction to begin with but still, this is insane."

"Just keep rowing straight. This is the right direction."

Elsa looked visibly uneasy sitting in the small boat. Her hands were clenched tightly on the rim. Her anxiety making ice form around her fingers.

Anna wanted to reach out and comfort her, but she knew she would be scolded if she stopped rowing. So, she went for the next best thing.

"Did you just tap me with your foot?" Elsa looked down at the boot resting beside her foot on the floor of the boat.

"Um… yes?"

"Why?"

"To comfort you?"

"You want to comfort me with your foot?"

Anna's nervousness built up at the awkward situation her foot had put her in.

"Well you look so anxious and uneasy and I didn't want to stop rowing and honestly my foot is just as good as any other part of me so I don't see what's so wrong with trying to comfort my friend in need with a little footsie!"

Anna had to take a deep breath as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. To her surprise she felt a little nudge against her own foot.

"Is this… like this? I don't know what footsie is." Elsa again looked extremely focused with puzzled concentration at the pairs of feet as she attempted to reciprocate the gesture by lightly nudging Anna's boot with her toe.

Anna could not help but burst with a laugh that echoed through the void. The sound cut through the wall of anxiety that was smothering Elsa and she too let escape a soft giggle. Ripples skipped along the water from the sudden movement in the boat.

"Anna, look!" Elsa pointed toward something in front of them. Her floating snowflakes danced ahead, their light bounding off of the first sign of _anything_ in the emptiness. Anna turned and squinted her eyes to try and get a better view of what they were paddling into.

"It looks like…. docks? Whoa there's a whole town floating on the water! But this one is human sized, and everything is on stilts!"

Their boat gently made its way between raised platforms. Just like the dwarven settlement before, this human one had been abandoned for centuries. Eventually they came upon a lowered dock where they disembarked.

Elsa was visibly relieved to be rid of the floating death trap.

Unlike the dwarven town, which was made of stone, this one was constructed from deteriorating wood. Most buildings lie in dilapidated states, the floorboards cracked with every step.

Also, unlike the dwarven town, there had been a battle here. The girls quickly noticed the remains of warriors strewn around the docks. Scattered bits of armor, axes, and swords, both human and dwarf, littered the entire ruin.

They eventually found their way out of the docks and onto solid ground. More human ruins, more signs of war.

Anna began to ponder. "If this is a human port then we must be at the edge of the mountain range, right? Where's our dream invader then? We must be almost outside at this point."

Elsa looked around in circles. Confusion and apprehension plain across her face.

"I can feel… he's…. above us."

"Above us? That doesn't make sense."

Elsa raised her hand and the lights lifted into the underground sky. High above them they could finally see some semblance of a ceiling. They both craned their necks and managed to see a hole through the rock. There were some kind of vines growing out of it.

"There. Anna, stand next to me."

"Yes, ma'am!" Anna came skipping along. As she got to Elsa, the other woman shot a single icicle into the air. Dangling from it was her icy rope, glowing blue in the darkness. The grappling ice was sent straight into the hole and found anchor somewhere on the other side.

Elsa grabbed hold of the rope with one hand and wrapped her other behind Anna's back pulling her close. Anna was not expecting the sudden closeness that came without warning and her cheeks immediately flared up again.

"Hold on tight."

Anna did not have to be told twice. She snuggly wrapped her arms around the bare shoulders as she bit her lower lip, hoping that Elsa couldn't feel how fast her heart had suddenly started beating.

The two women lifted up into the air, suspended by the recoiling magical string. They made their way up for several moments until they entered the dark breach of the ceiling. Their bodies started to brush against unexpected foliage. They got to the end of the line and Elsa swung them so they would land beside the opening in the floor.

Elsa once again summoned her snowy stars to illuminate their surroundings. Both of their eyes grew wide as they took in the new landscape before them.

"An underground forest…." Anna said as she reached out and touched a pale trunk.

Elsa made her way through the trees, grim determination across her features. She could feel the foreign magic as if it was pouring over her, attempting to erode her glacial visage. She came to a break in the tree line and stopped dead in her tracks. Fear blazing through her cold stare.

Anna came up right behind her. "What in the world? How did a ship get in here?"

Before them was a small mountain, a mountain in a mountain. Sitting on its peak was an ancient Norsr longship. It's sail long disintegrated. Shattered oars strewn about the hillside. Splintered shields dotted its wall.

A fog started to crawl through the forest, gently wrapping around their legs, and circling the buried ship.

The two of them looked up at the broadside facing them.

That's when they saw him.

" **You finnnnaaaaally made it…. Welcome. Welcome to my barrow."**

The figure sat on the ship's edge, centered as if the wooden corpse was his throne. He was no longer the immaterial, shadow figure shrouded in nightmare. Now it was plain for them to see, this was a draugr. But no ordinary draugr. His skeletal remains were adorned with the armor of a king. Bony fingers lined with glittering rings. Chainmail blackened with the stains of countless fallen warriors. And his skull was not that of a human. It was the skull of a lynx. Fangs slicing downwards underneath unsettlingly large eye sockets that glowed blue with dark magic.

_I….. I can't stop shaking. I can't move my legs. I can't find my voice…. What is this? Fear? I've known fear, but this…. I've never felt anything like this before._

Elsa then feels warmth at her fingertips. She looks down and sees lightly freckled fingers wrapped around her own pale hand, holding on tightly. She follows the arm up to the cyan eyes resting under auburn hair. Eyes without fear. Without trembling. Eyes with strength. Eyes telling her that she is not alone.

Anna nodded her head and smiled. Elsa looked deep into those eyes and her trembling stopped. She got her breathing under control. Her frayed nerves mending. And then….

Then…..

Everything we _nt blurry…._

* * *

_What happened? Where am I? I see… buildings, docks, ships. I'm in Tronsvik. I'm surrounded by the people, watching me from all sides. I'm….. dreaming…._

_**I have waited a looooonnggg time for this…** _

_What do you want from me!? What are you!?_

_**Can't you tell?** _

_Stop playing games! I'm sick of it!_

_**You and I… We are the same.** _

_I am NOTHING like you!_

_**Look around you girl. Look at all of these people. They feeeeaaaaaarrrrr you. And you LOVE it.** _

_I hate it!_

_**You can't liiieeee to me… We are both, creatures of the undead. Bearers of dark magic. Bringers of death…..** _

_I am not….._

_**I am a Draugr King. And you….** _

_Lies…._

_**You are a Draugr Queen.** _

_I am NOT DEAD!_

_**You think you were born in that forest? Noooooononono…..You DIED in that forest. You washed up on that shore, a cold…. dead….. little girl.** _

_I don't believe you…._

_**You are a walking corpse, cursed with turning everything around you into a frozen graveyard.** _

_And what? You want me to join you as your queen? Is that it?_

_**Foolish girl… I want to coooonnsssssuuuummmeeeeeeee yooouuuuuuuuuuuuuu…** _

_The people… They all melted into that black tar. It's oozing toward me. I can't freeze it; I can't do anything here! I can't wake up… I don't want to fall here; I don't want to be consumed by this filth! I don't want to die… again._

_Wait… there are… flames encircling me. Like before, they are keeping the blackness at bay…_

* * *

"No, not again! Elsa! Wake up! Come on!"

_She collapsed right next to me. No matter how hard I shake her shoulders she won't wake up!_

" **Hmmm? Who are you..?"**

Anna turned to look at the reverberating voice emanating from the skull of a dead cat.

"I'm the one whose gonna kick your ass. Who are you?"

" **I was not aware of your pressssennceee. You have no maaggicc yet…. Ah yes. There it is. I can smell it. That cowardly little creature. You are brave to wear one of his riiinnggsssss. You know he makes not but cuuuurrrrrrsssseess."**

"Well, I'm guessing that right now that cursed ring is protecting me from whatever it is you did to Elsa, so I'll take it's side thank you very much."

" **You are inconsequential, meaningless, pooweerrllesss. And yet you somehow stand in my way. I do not know how you are protecting her, but no matter."**

A clawed hand reached out. It started twitching, some kind of… growth metastasized along the skeletal forearm. It branched out around the fingers and extended outward. Twigs wrapping around each other and melding into a long form. Leaves seemingly sprouting from the sides and interlocking into a jagged edge.

A mistletoe forged into a sword.

He stood and the ground shook. The ancient ship cried from the strain, almost splitting in half across the peak of his burial mound. Anna stumbled to the ground and Elsa still did not wake. She heard the ringing of mail coming toward her.

"Ok Elsa. Come on. Wake up wake up wake up!"

Anna shook her as much as possible. She even slapped her face. "I am so sorry, but you have to wake up!" Bruni started jumping up and down on the silver head.

The prowling cat was nearly on top of her. It towered over her. From the top of the mountain it was impossible to make out its size, but here it stood nearly as tall as the trees. Undead magic distorting the former human corpse.

Without even a thought of running, Anna stood and turned to face him. She tossed her bag to the side and unclasped her cloak, attempting to mimic the dramatic gesture that Elsa delivered with such flair against the troll except that her cloak stuck to her finger and she had to unceremoniously shake it off. She raised her fists ready to fight, knuckle to sword.

" **Pathetic."**

The sword whistled through the air. Inexplicably, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Anna saw the green blade sailing toward her. She saw the glowing blue eyes bursting from the hollow sockets. She saw…

A snowflake

Gliding in the air

Platinum braid trailing behind, and a glacier roaring in front

Blue-white ice smashed against ashen skull

Green blade missed its victim. Nearly cutting off a ginger braid. The draugr stumbled but did not fall. He stood up straight to look at the unexpected force of nature standing before him.

" **Ohhh.. Now this is a site I have not seen in cceeentturrriees. Hehhehehehehe"**

Elsa stood next to Anna, her shield bared and eyes tempered steel.

"Anna."

"Elsa! You woke up!"

"You slapped me."

"Oh my god I'm so sorry. I promise I won't do it again! Unless I have to. You know. If you can't wake up or you do something stupid or.."

"Thank you."

Both women stole a moment to look each other in the eyes. Mutual strength and determination washing over them. Then arctic blues turned to face the undead king.

"You are wrong."

" **Oh?"**

"I did not die in that forest. I found life. And I won't let you take it away."

" **Heh. Good. Gooooood. Come then, fair shieldmaiden. Let us test your mettle!"**

"Anna, take Bruni and find someplace safe."

"Els, I thought we had this conversation."

"No Anna, this is not going to be like the troll. I need space. LOTS of space. Please, I'm not telling you to leave because I know now, more than anything, that I need you, but.. I don't know how much control I will have…"

Bruni jumped from the top of her white hair into Anna's own.

"Ok. I'm not leaving you, but please, don't worry about me. Just let loose and kick his ass!"

Elsa gave her a confident nod as the red head turned to the forest.

" **Are you prepared giirrl?"**

She fixed her opponent with poised determination. Shield raised across her. Left fist clenched and quivering not from fear, but from the power building up inside. The entire forest grew cold. Frost splintering across the trees.

"My name… is Elsa."

* * *

The air was split with the burst of magic. It rang through the forest as sword met shield. Deafening, like a gong being smashed by the gods.

The leafy sword came crashing down onto the glacier. When confronted by the immense weight of an entire mountain troll on top of her, Elsa felt nothing. Not even a slight strain against her power. But here…

Her feet pressed into the ground. Both of her arms braced behind her magical shield. She grit her teeth at the sheer force that was bearing down on top of her, pushing her deeper into the dirt.

Sword came at her from the side. She twisted to block with her shield, but again the sheer force of his magic propelled her into the air, and she flew, crashing into his wooden throne.

" **Is that all you have shieldmaiden?"**

Arrows of ice flew out from the wreckage. Pierced into his shoulders and chest with no effect.

She launched herself into the air. The ground beneath freezing under her path. A trail of spikes burst forth and surrounded the king. They converged into his chest at the center, impaling a hundred times over. She came crashing down from above with the force of an iceberg breaking free from its glacial body. Ice erupting in a great mountain, blasting the trees from their roots and turning the landscape into an arctic tundra.

She did not let up.

She leaped back and raised her hands in the air. More pillars of ice, more force pressing into the mountain. Compacting it and crushing everything inside.

Then she heard it again. That sound that she was quickly growing to hate.

*CRACK*

Vines sprouted from the coffin of ice. Worming their way through the blue walls. Fracturing in a thousand places.

The king broke free, his fangs bared and sword arcing through the air.

The battle raged.

Elsa deflected blow after blow, swing after swing. Dancing around endless flurries of attacks while trying to inflict her own damage. A block with her shield followed by a spear of ice launching from her left hand. His undead body made everything useless. Attacks just went through or had no effect. And she was already tired.

"Argh!" She screamed as his cursed sword finally made contact. Slashing her left bicep, staining the tundra with blood.

She danced through the frozen forest. Blocking, dodging, leaping out of the way of the relentless sword.

Her diamond shield could not cut the magic blade. It was somehow organic. Sharp but flexible, bending under the unbreakable diamond edge.

She deflected another slash, only to be punched in her gut and sent careening through brittle trees. Blood coughing out onto the white.

Her breathing was growing haggard whilst he stood above with his sword raised for the final blow.

He stopped his arm as he saw a smile appear on her face.

" **Do you welcome death giiirrll?"**

"I welcome the fear of death, for it means that I _am_ alive!"

The king swung his death blow. Until he felt something stick to his feline skull. Sticky, amphibious feet latching onto smooth bone.

And erupting in a blazing inferno.

" **AAHRG! Get off me vermin!"**

The draugr swung wildly as the flames engulfed his entire upper body. Blinding and scorching. Charring at the bone.

And then a ringed fist came pummeling into a shin the height of a man. Runes glowing against the undead magic. The bone shattered into a thousand pieces causing the king to stumble to the ground.

Anna ran over to the wounded woman still trying to catch her breath.

"Oh man! I did not know if that was going to work because you said draugr aren't magic, but it worked!"

"Draugr may not be magic but he is sustained by something other than a restless soul. I don't know what it is. His body is just a husk. Everything I do has no effect. The source of his magic must be somewhere…"

Before they had more time to think, the king had mended his leg. Bone replaced by wood growing down from his sword arm. Clawed, feline fingers grasped the small amphibian from his cranium and flung it toward the girls. Anna managed to turn in time to catch the poor little savior.

The cave rang with a high-pitched screech as the fanged lynx skull opened wide releasing the ear-splitting cry. It came pouncing at the girls like a wild animal. It barreled into their bodies with its massive shoulders and smashed into the rock of the mountain.

Elsa managed to erect a protective layer of ice around them, but it did not fully dissipate the impact of smashing through the side of a mountain.

Suddenly Anna found herself blanketed by snow and being stung by a biting wind. She strained to open her eyes as she too, coughed up blood from being rammed into by a hulking skeleton, and saw that they were now outside.

The king had smashed clear through the wall and they lie on the snow top of the mountain.

Anna desperately looked for Elsa, only finding her by the blood stains marking the otherwise white surface of her body blending into the snow. She trudged through the thick powder, hoping beyond hope that Elsa was still alive.

She heard that high pitched cry again. Looked down and saw the king, now more feline than ever, hunched over on all fours. Readying for a final, death bringing pounce.

She turned over the bloodied body. Her platinum braid completely undone. Blood trickling at the corner of her mouth.

"Thank god… she's still breathing."

"Anna…" Elsa wheezed as she coughed up another spurt of blood.

"Shhh. Don't talk, Els. Just hang on. I did some serious damage to his leg. I'll take care of the rest ok?"

Sudden flashes of memory flooded Anna's vision. Memories of a dying trader telling her to run with his last breath. Her vision blurred with the tears of repeating history.

"Anna… I have something to say.."

"You can say it after I beat the snot out of this guy ok?"

Anna hoped her feigned confidence was shrouding her dread.

"My favorite color…"

"Els, that's great that you found one, but I don't think that's very important right now."

Anna said as reluctant tears dripped down her freckled cheeks.

"I think… you're my favorite color."

"Hurhuhwha?"

Suddenly Anna was engulfed by a ball of ice and sent rolling down the side of the mountain, picking up speed through its descent.

"ELSA! NO!"

The blonde could not hear her cry.

The battered girl stood, knees wobbly, vision blurred by red across her face. Her icy clothes were fractured and torn. She stood and took in a single, deep, frozen breath.

" **It is time giiiirrrlll. Time for me to consume your body and soul….."**

Elsa had closed her eyes. She breathed deep of the mountain surrounding them.

"You were right about one thing, king."

" **Oh?"**

"I do love it. The fear. And I will drink deeply of yours as I snuff out your undead life. Look around you, king. You are in MY realm now! And you will **feAR ME!"**

The mountain came alive. The rock trembled and shattered as the weight of every flake of snow resting on the surface rose up. A tidal wave of frozen water reaching high into the sky, a floating behemoth of destruction resembling a cloud hovering across the summit.

The king looked up at the avalanche before him, and its master standing there under the frozen death.

Her eyes opened, glowing blue, and piercing the undead soul.

And he felt fear.

The weight of an entire mountain came crashing down. An ungodly avalanche of snow and destruction rolling across the surface, tearing every tree, rock, and king in its path. The roar could be heard through the entire mountain range. The tremors felt as far away as Arendelle.

Nothing was left in the wake of her rage. A frozen wasteland flattened under miles of snow. The entire landscape transformed into a land of white.

The roaring died down. The snow settled. And Elsa stood atop the pulverized dust that was once a king.

And then she saw it. The true king.

"The sword…"

Lying in the middle of the pile of crushed bone was a single branch. Tendrils seeking a new host. Drawn to the new power it felt standing above it.

Elsa reached down… and then summoned a blizzard above the demonic mistletoe. It recoiled, twisted, even _screamed_ as the blue fractals consumed its evil presence. She poured enough power to freeze the enchanted spring water, a chill so cold it was not of this earth. The twig writhed… and shattered into the wind.

* * *

Anna pounded against the ice. Bashed her hand against the smooth surface as hard as she could. As fatigue and desperation took her, she reached out with her ringed hand and a hole melted away before her.

"God Damn It!"

She leaped forward, determined to run all the way back up the mountain and save her friend. Instead she stood dead in her tracks at the new landscape before her. The base of the mountain once had a lush forest thriving in the middle of the northern summer. Instead she looked upon a vast tundra. The entire horizon before her, a smooth, white plain. With one figure standing tall above the snow.

Tears welled in her blue-green eyes as she ran toward the figure, until she fell straight through the endless layers of fresh snow.

"Anna!"

Elsa came running over instead. Feet carrying her across the top of the delicate powder. Anna looked up from the snowy cavern her body had created and saw a pale hand reach down. She took the chilled fingers and was hoisted up onto the snow. Worried that she would fall in again, she held on tight to the still bruised and battered woman.

"Ow… careful."

Then Anna slapped her.

"OW!"

"Don't you EVER do that again!"

"I'm… I'm sorry… I promise…"

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

"What? What does that even mean?"

"I have no idea but you need to do it or else I will keep slapping you!"

"Ok, ok… I… cross my heart and hope to die?"

"Good. Is he…."

"Gone."

"Whew. I mean I was gonna take him. Did you not see how I exploded his leg? It was awesome. Oh man, you look like hell. How do you feel? Are you ok?"

Elsa just looked at the other girl with tired eyes and a soft smile across her lips. The pain from bruises and broken bones absent from her mind. Her thoughts entirely resting on the freckled face staring back at her with a mixture of worry and relief.

"I feel…alive."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this story and want to be a part of the community, join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at /TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL) or search for the Elsanna Shenanigans tumblr for a link.


	5. Episode 4: A Snail of a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna find themselves in the heart of the Southern Isles. What delicious adventure awaits them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:
> 
> Very brief depiction of PTSD/Anxiety attack. Mention of tinkling (Not Graphic). Gratuitous depictions of food. Very mild nudity.

* * *

**Somewhere in the middle of a forest**

"...and then you put thin slices of meat in it, you top it with lettuce and tomatoes, don't ask me where the royal chef gets these things, you fold the bread over itself, and PRESTO! A sandwich. Any questions? Yes, you there! In front!"

Elsa sat on the ground, her legs folded underneath her. She looked from side to side with wide, bewildered blue eyes, and pointed a finger toward her face in a question mark.

"No, not you. The little one raising his hand in front!"

Bruni sat on a rock next to Elsa, staring off into the distance.

"Bruni didn't raise his hand." Elsa said.

"He licked his eyeball. And what's your question?" Anna bent down as if needing to hear a whisper.

"Uh huh...uh huh… oh good question!"

Elsa turned from the freckled teacher to give the blue salamander a raised eyebrow as her bewilderment descended into un-amusement.

"I don't know what kind of meat it is. It just shows up shaped like a log thingie, imported from some far away kingdom."

It was Elsa's turn to question her amphibious classmate who was now facing behind them, staring at… nothing.

"That's your question? You didn't ask: why is it called a sand-witch?"

"Hey! You didn't raise your hand, miss! So I am not going to answer your question. NOT because I don't know the answer."

Anna crossed her arms as she raised her chin in the air with her final word. Elsa rolled her eyes in response as she stood from the ground, Bruni jumping on her shoulder as she rose.

"Shall we continue, _miss_ Anna?"

Anna giggled and gave her a beaming smile. "We shall, my dear Elsa." She said putting on her best impression of her overbearing governess in charge of her royal education.

The two women hiked through a lush forest. Not a road, path, or trail in sight. They had long left behind the mountains and snow and found themselves in the middle of the Norsland summer. A sea of deep green leaves and bright sunshine all around them.

"Man it is great to finally be out of those mountains! The weather is amazing!"

Anna was practically dancing through the underbrush.

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck with a soothing hand, showing a slight discomfort.

"It's a little warm…"

Anna had hopped onto a fallen log with her arms outstretched to keep her balance.

"I know! It's so warm I can be outside with _only_ my skirt and long sleeve shirt on! I don't have to wear my jacket at all!"

Anna stepped off the edge of the log, not realizing that it was extended over a steep, rolling hillside with a soon-to-be rolling redhead making her way down.

"Whoa-Oof!"

Elsa ran over and cried out, not entirely surprised, as she watched twin braids tumbling end over end down the hill.

"Anna! What did we say about falling!"

She could barely make out the faint and undulating response.

"BiTe Me SnOw GiRl!"

Anna finally came to a stop with her face planted in dirt.

"Ouch! Oh hey, I found a road!"

Elsa came gliding down the grassy knoll, graceful as ever.

"I think you found more than a road…"

Anna looked up and saw a small port staring at her scuffed face. A small dockyard resting against a calm body of water. A few, small ships were docked, nothing large enough for open sea. The wooden docks connected to a loose spread of storage buildings. There was not so much a town or trading post attached to these docks as it was a more industrial hub with goods being transported through.

"How did we not see this?!"

Elsa fixed her a look with her own arms crossed.

"Maybe look where you're going instead of twirling around the forest."

Anna bounced up onto her feet.

"Look who's talking, forest girl. Besides, I found it. So, you're welcome."

She got the faintest of chuckles in return.

As they made their way into the small port, Elsa immediately noticed the stares coming her way. The docks were not busy, with just a handful of sailors and merchants unloading and reloading their cargo. Some stopping in mid lift to stare at the barefoot, ethereal stranger walking amongst them.

Anna instantly recognized the change in her demeanor.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Elsa turned to look at her and said "I'm fine.. I'm... perfectly fine."

_She's trying really hard to mask the apprehension in her eyes. She's not doing a very convincing job._

"Maybe we should do something about these clothes to make you look a little… less conspicuous."

Anna reached into her bag and pulled out the winter jacket she wasn't wearing.

"I feel like this will make me look just as conspicuous during summer."

"Well it's better than nothing until we can get you some _normal_ clothes."

Elsa crinkled her nose at the thought of wearing such a heavy and restrictive fabric. Instead she looked around, and then suddenly pulled Anna off into a small space between buildings, out of sight behind some stacked crates.

"Whoa, oh hello. Uh what are we doing… ?"

"Shh.."

Elsa closed her eyes, and with her hands raised at her neckline, slowly lowered them down. As her fingers skimmed the surface of her body, the shimmering white ice fabric began to oscillate. Before blue-green eyes, the white dress and pants reformed itself into a shade of light blue. Where the fabric blended into her skin like speckled rhinestones, a more defined hem manifested itself, draping along her neckline and cuffing her wrists and ankles. For all intents and purposes her dress now resembled something more akin to real fabric.

"Wow, you changed the color! I mean, blue is still kind of… eye catching. But I guess anything we put on you will be eye catching…" She gulps down the awkwardness. "But there's still one more issue." She said as she pointed a finger downward leading the icy blues to follow their trail to the pale skin resting on the ground.

"You really don't know how to make shoes? That's probably your biggest problem."

"You said your friend Rapunzel doesn't wear shoes."

"Ya. And she gets noticed for it. A LOT. You already have a lot to notice, what with your snowy hair and piercing eyes and amazing figure and… and…"

_Ramble Alert! Don't say more!_

"and… feet… you have feet. And we should cover them! Right away!"

_You said more…_

"I still don't see why it's necessary…"

"Cover your feet girl!"

Elsa gave an exacerbated combination of sigh, eye and head rolling, finished with an attempt at subtly conjuring some simple, yet still elegant, sandals.

Anna looked down, again with amazement, and covetous jealousy.

"Ok. I wouldn't exactly call that covered, but it is summer so hopefully no one will notice.."

"I still feel a little warm."

Elsa touched the base of her neck with her middle finger causing a small snowflake to appear on her skin. The pointed petals began to expand, diverge, and fractal around her neck. encircling and radiating across her shoulders and down her back. Crystals arranged themselves to form a flowy textile of a slightly darker shade of blue. It cascaded from a high collar down her torso and ended at her waist. It was very cool to the touch.

"Ah… That's better."

Anna's face went from amazement and adoration to bafflement and exacerbation.

"Is that a cape?! We were going for ' _in-_ conspicuous'. Not 'let's dress like we're made of money'. I mean, Jesus, you look like a princess for crying out loud! No. Not a princess. You look like a freaking _queen_!"

Elsa looked at her cape with growing embarrassment.

"Is it too much you think?"

"A cape? Maybe just a little. A cape with a crystal brooch, that's blue, and has a second, _sheer_ , layer on top? Yes. I would say that's a little much."

"Ok… ok."

With a slightly defeated humf, Elsa twiddled her fingers across her neck and the sheer layer receded into the snowflake pendant which itself receded into the ether leaving a simple, but still blue, traveler's cape adorning her body.

"Better?" She said with a slight pout.

_God, she's so adorable when she pouts. I feel no guilt for causing it. Ok, maybe just a little guilt._

"Elsa… No. It's not better. It was amazing!" Anna placed a reassuring hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"But we are about to head into the Southern Isles… We… _I'm_ trying not to get noticed, remember? I have some hideous, ogreish, and probably unhygienic prince who thinks he's my fiance out there somewhere. I don't really want to broadcast that there is a princess, or a pair of princesses, or a queen and her slovenly maid, traveling through the capital."

Elsa's pout turned apologetic.

"You're right.. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Anna gave her another beaming grin.

"Hey, it's alright! You clearly have a thing for clothes. Yet another thing we now have in common! I can't wait to see what else you can make. Maybe you can make something for me?! That would be so amazing!"

Elsa got into a slight panic at this notion.

"Make something for… I've never made anything for someone else. I don't know… what if it hurts you? And you know my clothes are all made of ice. They will feel cold."

Anna shrugged her shoulders and closed her eyes with a confident smirk.

"That's ok. The cold never bothered me."

Elsa gave her an icy, unamused, deadpan look complete with a single raised eyebrow.

"'I'm cold' is _literally_ the first thing you _ever_ said to me."

"Hey, what's that over there!" Anna ran off pretending not to hear. Elsa shook her head but couldn't help but form a smile at the corner of her lips as she followed.

* * *

Anna had tronced up to a man standing at the dock of a small ship. He had a list in his hand and was counting off people as they boarded.

"Excuse me? Is this a transport ship?"

The man lifted his nose from his paper to look down at the girl standing before him.

"Aye. Sails across the straight, directly into Kobmaahavn. Do you need passage miss?"

"Yes please, for two passengers."

Elsa hesitantly walked up behind Anna.

"Is there not… another way into the capital? A bridge perhaps?"

The man turned his gaze to the woman joining the shorter one standing in front of him.

"There is a bridge ma'am, but it would take you a day to travel north and then cross into the northern tip of the Southern Isles. You would basically be circling around when you could just sail straight and be in kongens nytorv just past midday."

Anna turned to look at her companion with some concern.

"Els, do you want to take the bridge? We don't have to take the ship."

Elsa shook her head. "No. The ship is fine. We shouldn't waste time. Passage for two if you please."

The man nodded as Anna handed him the pieces of silver to book their place on the small ship. Once they boarded, Elsa sat herself as close to the central mast as possible and closed her eyes taking a very deep breath. She folded her hands together across her lap.

"Els, are you.."

"Anna, please stop asking me if I'm ok. I'm fine. Really. I just… don't like ships. That's all. Please stop worrying…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Anna had placed her own hands over the unconsciously trembling, pale knuckles. She didn't say anything, but just looked into arctic eyes with only care and understanding.

As hard as she tried, Elsa couldn't stop herself from attempting to explain to her friend what was wrong with her.

"I… I don't know why. I've never really been on a ship before. I would see them sail in and out of Tronsvik all the time, but I never stepped foot in one. It's just… when I look at them, when I feel the tortured wood… when I hear those creaks… What if... what if we sink? What if the ship goes down?! What if…"

She felt warm hands grasping tighter around her own.

"Hey… hey, it'll be ok. It's just a short trip. You heard the man, we'll be off this ship before you know it! And I'll be with you every second ok? Here, let's pass the time with a game."

"A game? What kind of game?"

"Let's play charades!"

"What's charades?"

"It's super fun! I love charades. Joan and I play all the time. She's _awful_ , but don't tell her I said that. Now normally you need to get up and act out something with your body. No Words! And the other person is supposed to guess what the word is. This ship is a little small for that though… SO I'm thinking… sitting charades."

"Sitting charades?"

"Yes. We think of a word. Then we act it out using only our upper body. Arms and… I guess arms. Or facial expressions I guess works too. No Words!"

"I got that part."

"Great! I'll go first. Try and guess what I'm acting out."

_This is a very strange game. Ok, let's see. She's… waving her hands in the air? She's tilting her head, swinging it from side to side. What's that supposed to be? Now she's clapping her hands as if to music?_

"Wait, is this an object or an activity."

_She just shook her head and looked at me. She's pointing to herself._

"An object? A person?"

_Now she's emphatically nodding her head yes. Ok. A person. Or a thing I suppose._

"A singer?"

_Not a singer. She's waving her arms around the air again. Her hands are waving around in circles._

"A… cleaner?"

_Slight nodding yes… So some kind of cleaner? Now what is she doing?_

"What are you doing?"

_She's… got her hands on her breasts pushing them upward? What the Hel is that supposed to be? What does that have to do with cleaning? Now she's waving her hands in circles again but around her chest. This does not seem like an appropriate game to be done in public…_

"Anna, what are you doing?"

_She huffed. Is that a part of the act? Now she's got her hands in fists. Punching? Fighting? No. They aren't fists. They are closed as if carrying something. Something with a handle…_

"Lady Snow?"

"YES! Finally! Man, I tried to make it easy for you."

"Easy? What does inappropriately touching yourself have to do with anything?"

Anna's face turned beet red.

"It's her...Did you not notice the… I mean she's got... They were so…"

_She's waving her hands around the air in front of her chest again._

"Oh nevermind! Your turn! Think of something and then just act it out!"

"Ok… Let me think…"

"Give me a good one. Just… use your body. Your upper body. And your face. Use your face. You got this. No pressure. Whenever you're ready… Annnnny day now."

Elsa gave her a glare that would freeze a lesser soul.

"Angry! Mad! Furious! Going to kill someone!"

Elsa shook her head, bangs swinging side to side on the top of her head. She started to move her arms around. Slowly. Twisting them around each other.

"Thinking! Unsure of something! Confused! Lost!"

Another shake of the platinum head. Now she used her arms, with palms faced upwards, toward her front as if pushing something.

"Oh! Shovel Boy!"

"What's a shovel boy?"

"Hey! NO WORDS!"

Elsa recoiled at the sudden command.

"Scared! Worried! Disturbed! Wait, is it a thing? or a person? A disturbed shovel boy!"

"Anna!"

"Ok ok. I'm sorry. I know it's your first time. I tend to get a little… competitive with joan. That's probably why I hold the record for 1,543 wins and _zero_ losses."

"This game is harder than I thought…"

"I'm sorry, we can pick a different game if you…"

"No! No… It's... fun."

Elsa looked down at her hands, and then only slightly raised her blue irises to look at the still blushing face before her, and gave her a soft, candid smile.

Anna felt an immense sense of satisfaction wash over her as she saw a rising city scape appear before them. Elsa hadn't even noticed that they left the dock.

* * *

"Elsa, look!" the ginger haired girl said, pointing at the oncoming buildings.

The arctic eyes turned to look in front of them. The ship entered a canal. Multi-colored buildings raised on one side, and docks with smaller fishing boats on the other. The transport seemed to sail directly into the heart of the city.

They stopped at a dock connected to a ferry building. Passengers emptied onto the planks, boots clodding against the wood as they passed through the gates and spread through a central square.

Anna took a few large, excited steps before realizing that she had taken them on her own. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Elsa standing there, transfixed by the strange, new land she found herself in.

 _This….this is a_ city. _The buildings are so tall… and there are so many of them! And what is the road made of? Stone? Did dwarves build this city? And there are so many…. people. There are more people in this… what is this?... this clearing with manicured greenery and a large statue in the center, then there are in all of Tronsvik. And the noise! Talking, shouting, laughing, walking, running, hooves, wheels, bells, whistles…._

"It's huge isn't it?"

"What?" The chaotic spiral was reigned back into reality.

"This city! It's crazy. It's so much bigger than the capital city in Arendelle despite The Southern Isles being so much smaller of a kingdom. If I remember my lessons, which I usually don't, Kobmaahavn is _the_ central trading nexus for all of the Norslands."

"There's so many people...yet none of them seem to even notice us."

"It's easy to get lost in a crowd I guess."

As they started to walk deeper into the square, they rapidly became aware that this city provided some unexpected difficulties.

_There are so many streets, so many winding roads weaving in and out of buildings. The city is sprawling in every direction. I can't even get a clear sense of what direction I'm facing what with all of these tall buildings._

As they attempted to get their bearings, they barely noticed that they were approaching a very peculiar facet of city life.

A very enthusiastic man dressed in a very elaborate set of robes, brightly colored in teal and deep burgundy to match the flag of the Southern Isles, was greeting passersby in the square.

"Welcome! Welcome to Kobmaahavn! Capital of The Southern Isles! Heart of the Norsr Renaissance! You there! Yes, you, young ladies! This looks like your first time to the capital city, yes?"

The two women looked at each other and then looked toward the strangely dressed man. Anna responded for the both of them.

"Uh… yes?"

He bounded with exuberant excitement. Elsa noticed that the other passengers from their ship were quickly walking away.

"Welcome! Welcome! I have everything you need to get to know the _real_ Kobmaahavn."

Without any warning, he yanked his robe open revealing… a surprisingly elaborate market stall that somehow appeared from the billowing fabric.

"I have maps, brochures, discounted tour prices, you name it! I have, one of a kind, _authentic_ ancient Norsr artifacts. The perfect trinket to bring back home! Here, this… shard of iron once was a piece of the sword of the ancient hero Sigurd! You can own your very own Sigurd Sword Keychain for _only_ 30 silver pieces! AND it comes with a free coupon for ten percent off on a tour of Westergaard Castle!"

Elsa slowly started to back away. Anna however…

"Oooooo a coupon! What other artifacts do you have?"

"Um, Anna? I think we are needed… elsewhere."

Elsa wrapped her arm around Anna's, attempting to drag her out of the trap.

"Huh? Wha? Oh, sorry but we have to get going!"

Elsa pulled her along the cobblestone street. Finding the nearest alleyway outside of the crowded, central square.

"Wait, young ladies! I can write your names in authentic ancient Norsr runes! A perfect tapestry for your wall!"

Elsa picked up her pace, with freckled tourist in tow.

"Wait, Elsa! Don't you want your name written in ancient runes?!"

"Anna, _I_ can write your name in ancient runes."

"You know you still haven't told me how you can read ancient runes."

* * *

Elsa pulled her into a building, not paying attention to the establishment, or the signs outside depicting a picture of a snail.

"You're very pull-y today Els."

Before their eyes registered where they were, their noses began to figure it out.

_What's that smell? I know this smell. It smells like… butter, sugar, eggs, and… chocolate…_

They were greeted by a shaggy blonde boy, probably no older than them, with the beginnings of a well kept beard, and wearing a linen apron adorned with leather straps over his cotton shirt.

"Hi there! Let me know when you're ready to order."

Before them was a long room built from dark stone laced with veins of white, and high ceilings supported by a light colored wooden frame. On one side was an open space with tables and chairs, and filled with patrons. On the other side was the shaggy boy standing behind a simply carved, wooden counter that matched the frame of the building. And next to him was a lavish display of breads, pastries, and desserts.

Beyond that was a spacious wooden table with multiple people milling around it, also wearing similar aprons. A large, open-fire oven sat in the corner beside the table which was surrounded by sacks of flour, crates of eggs, and crocks full of butter.

"Anna, what is this place?"

"Heaven" Anna said with a breathy exhale.

"What?"

"Sorry. I mean, it's a bakery! I know it well. When I would sneak out of the castle, the bakery was the number one place I would go to. So much so that mother placed a permanent guard there to catch me every time I escaped. They didn't have a bakery in Tronsvik?"

"They did. They made bread but it didn't look like this. They were hard. Like rocks. And it certainly didn't smell like this."

"First time in Kobmaahavn?" the boy asked.

Both women nodded their heads, still overwhelmed by the site, smells, and sheer number of edible treasures before them.

"Well you've come to the right place. This is Onsdagssnegle. We are a traditional Danskr bakery specializing in classic Danskr recipes although we do have some of the more modern Ostarrbrøds if you want."

"So many options! What do you recommend?"

"We are a snegl shop so I would suggest any of the snegls."

"What's a snegl?" both girls asked in unison.

He walked over past the counter with the baskets full of bread to a section topped with multi-tiered shelves full of trays holding dough turned into a variety of shapes. The most prominent shape being that of a swirl.

"These are snegls. Other kingdoms call them swirls or rolls. We have cinnamon ones, plain ones, chocolate ones…"

"I'll take a chocolate one!" Anna said with a little bit too much volume for her surroundings.

"Wait, Anna. Shouldn't we be moving on?" Elsa said, trying her hardest to resist the decadent temptations.

"Elsa, this is your first time in a real bakery. We are going to savor the moment!"

Temptation overruled. In a much more meek tone, Elsa said "I would also like a chocolate one please…" clearly nervous at the interaction with a stranger.

"Two direktørsnegls, coming right up! Fresh baked mere _minutes_ ago. Anything else? Something to drink? We have our own blend of single origin, Agrabah coffee."

"Oh! I've always wanted to try coffee! Mother loves coffee but she never lets me have any."

The hackles on the back of Elsa's neck prickled.

"No. You should not have coffee. I know coffee. _That_ we do get in Tronsvik. Very valuable. And something _you_ should not drink."

Anna's curiosity was even more piqued.

"Oooo sounds dangerous."

"If you drink it? Very dangerous… Do you have just water?"

"Sorry, the fresh water is reserved for the baking. We have milk if you don't want coffee or ale."

"Ooo an ale.." Anna was cut off by an icy wind.

"Milk would be just fine, for both of us. Thank you."

He handed them two ceramic bottles with the white liquid as well as the pastries sitting on a wooden plate. They walked over to an empty table, close to the space where the other bakers were working.

Before they even started digging into their pastries, they became transfixed by the activity at the table.

Flour, water and butter churning, mixing, and melding into one; combining into a fluffy pillow of deliciousness. Expert hands folding the soft dough in on itself into a smooth dome. A hand made rolling pin firmly pressing against the powdery surface, rolling it into a flat, white sheet with visible chunks of yellow butter marbling along its length.

A gentle snowfall of sugar and cinnamon fell across the plain of dough. Drops of raisins spread among the sweet granules. Practised fingers confidently peeled the sweetened landscape back over itself into a tight roll, swirls of cinnamon and raisin spiraling into existence.

A hot knife sliced through butter and dough, creating small discs of goodness. Liquid golden egg was drizzled along their surface, slowly dripping down their sides. They were delicately arranged on a tray and inserted into the crackling fire. Sweltering heat brought about a soft rise and deep, golden color to dance across the surface. The sweet smell drifted out of the oven to dazzle and tantalize nearby nostrils.

Anna managed to break off her gaze of the culinary artistry happening before her to look at the woman sitting across the table. Elsa was completely enraptured by the baking process. Eyes as wide as the wooden plates, her mouth was just slightly open. She was studying every subtle movement, every ingredient, every ball of dough and heavy mixing bowl.

Anna was unaware that she was doing the same thing, except she wasn't watching the baking. She found herself with her elbow on the table, and her hand propping up her chin as dreamy eyes savored the presence of the person that filled their cyan irises.

_Anna._

_Hmm?_

_I think it's time we talk about this._

_Talk about what?_

_Uh, the reindeer in the room?_

_There's a reindeer in the room?!_

_No! Elsa! You like her._

_Well ya, I like her. She's like my best friend now._

_Dummy! You LIKE her!_

_Ok, ok. You don't have to broadcast it to the whole world._

_What are you going to do about it?_

_I dunno… I mean maybe she likes me too._

_Maybe she doesn't like girls._

_Oh shit, you're right. I'm so inexperienced at this. How do I know if she does? How does she know if she does? I don't think she's had much chance to figure out romance and stuff in the forest, or in Tronsvik for that matter. How did it work with me and Punzie?_

_Que flashback: Dodedodedodedo_

"Anna, you know what's really fun?"

"Charades?"

"No, silly. Making out. You wanna try?"

_Dodedodedodedodedo_

_Are you serious?! That's how it happened? God, it was so easy with her... Somehow I don't think that will work with Elsa._

_Anna._

_Shh! I'm thinking!_

_Anna, she's looking at us._

_Who's looking at us?_

"Anna, are you ok? You haven't touched your snegl."

"Huh? Wha? Oh! Ya, I was just… thinking!"

"Thinking about what?"

"Nothing!"

"You were thinking about nothing?"

Before she could say something embarrassing, she decided to do something embarrassing instead by taking a hulking bite out of her chocolate treat and being overcome with sweet bliss.

Elsa took a much more petite bite from her own. She closed her eyes as her tastebuds danced in euphoria.

"Mmmmmm. I've never tasted chocolate like this before. It's absolutely delicious."

"Mm.. You're delicious…" Anna was still hopelessly lost in the snowy aura of the other girl.

_Mental Slap!_

"Did you say something?" Elsa asked after swallowing her bite of chocolate pastry.

"...Delicious! It! It is delicious! Mmmmmm."

Elsa covered her mouth with a delicate hand as she let a giggle escape her chocolate crumb lips.

_Ok. How do I do this? I need to start slow. Test the waters. Hey Elsa, do you like girls? Ya that's more like jumping into the ocean. Hey Elsa, do you ever want to get married? Have you ever had a boyfriend? Still too far in the deep end of the fjord. Ugh… why is this so hard!_

"Hey Anna?"

"Hmm?" Anna blinked at the unexpected sound of her name.

"You were supposed to get married right?"

Anna slowly nodded her head, unsure entirely how to react to the topic being brought up by the other woman.

"Mmhmm…."

"To the prince of the Southern Isles?"

"The tenth prince. Or was it twelfth? One of those."

"There are twelve princes?"

"I guess. Those royals must have been royally busy in the bedroom."

Anna chortled as Elsa turned slightly pink.

"I can understand not wanting to marry someone you never met. But you're a princess. The princesses in all of the stories I've read have wonderful lives, at least compared to mine... The castles, romanticism, and marrying a prince. It just all seemed so…. wonderful. Frankly, I was surprised when you said that you ran away from all of that, and that you didn't want to go back."

_This is unexpected. What do I say? Do I say the truth? What is the truth? That I'd rather marry Punz? Or that I'd rather marry her? That I would rather not marry anyone and just be with… A her?_

"I…" Anna was looking down at the table now, half finished pastry lying on it's plate.

"Unfortunately, the reality is not so wonderful. I am not a person. I am a trade good, to be bartered with for political arrangements. Sure those stories are fun, but they are just stories. Prince Charming doesn't exist."

_Oh man… Her eyes just got really big like I shattered her world. Now she's looking down at her own swirl. I think she's deciding whether she wants to swallow it or her dreams. She totally played princess in the forest. She wanted her own Prince Charming..._

Now Anna was fidgeting with nervous fingers, playing with her pastry. Her shoulders trying to slump under the table. She attempted to summon a facade of casualness to salvage the deteriorating atmosphere.

"Heh…. I knew you played princess. Which one were you?" A forced smile. A forced chuckle.

Elsa was looking down at her blue companion sitting on the table, licking her pastry. Her eyes had transitioned from surprise to solemn recollection as a faint smile appeared across her lips.

"Actually, Bruni played the princess. I was usually the….." She stopped mid breath. Eyes returned to their wide circumference as she bit down on her words, forcing them to recede into their box.

_She was usually the….. what? The ogre? The dragon? The evil queen? Whoa, her face is so pink. I've never seen this much color on her before. She looks like a pink rose sitting in a bed of snow._

"I… It.. it doesn't matter. Just silly children's games." A forced laugh. A forced dismissal with a wave of a hand.

_She's eating her pastry again. She takes such small bites. I think I ate half of mine in the first chomp… She's gently dabbing the corner of her mouth with her finger, wiping some chocolate off. God, what I would give to be the one to do that…_

_..with my tongue._

_Anna!_

_Sorry! She's just so….. distracting…._

Elsa placed her pastry down, much to the salamanders delight. She seemed to have recomposed herself somewhat, but her cheeks still burned with pink bashfulness.

"So... you ran away. Defying your mother, the queen. Disrupting a, most likely, delicate and important negotiation between two kingdoms. Insulting a prince. Probably wasted a small fortune's worth of gold. Not to mention becoming a lost princess, the _only_ heir, with _two_ kingdoms searching for you. All because you wanted to live your life the way you want to."

Anna was practically under the table with shame.

"When you put it that way…"

_She's looking away, but at the same time, not. She's looking at me out of the corner of her eye. She seems to be thinking very hard about something. Does she want me to go home? Is she trying to convince me that I'm being irrational. That I'm an awful princess, an awful daughter, and an awful person? God, I don't want to hear what she's about to say. I thought that back on the mountain…. she… maybe…_

"Anna.."

_Oh God, here it comes._

"I think…"

_Please, please don't say it._

"I think… you're amazing."

_I knew she was going to….. wait huh?_

"Huh?"

"You did all that on your own. You broke free from your shackles with your own strength. Turned away from what everyone wanted you to be so that you could be what _you_ wanted to be. I think… I think you're more amazing than any princess in any story. You're certainly more amazing than I am."

"Elsa, that's ridiculous" she said as her voice nervously stuttered.

"I'm sorry… I just… What I'm trying to say is… I… I don't know what I would do without you."

Freckled fingers stopped mid-fidget, dropping the swirl onto the plate. Her eyes refound their focus on the other girl who was looking away toward her own vulnerability with pink cheeks and teeth biting into a chocolaty lower lip.

Anna's heart stopped. Her voice escaped her lips with wild abandon.

"You won't have to know because…. you'll always have me."

Their eyes met across the table, and there they stayed while chocolatey bliss swirled around them, and they finished their pastries.

* * *

"Hey Els, I need to find the little girls room. I'll be right back."

"Ok." Elsa said with a finger stuck in her mouth attempting to rid itself of residual chocolate and sugar.

"Just head out the back door. It's to the right" said the shaggy baker.

"Thanks." Anna skipped along to the back of the bakery, exiting the rear door into a back alley that overlooked the canal that they arrived on.

After a brief tinkle, she made to head back into the bakery to rejoin her companion.

Then the world went dark.

"Hey! What the…..Hmmmffhffmff!"

Arms flailed against heavy cloth and legs thrashed at thick ropes coiling around them. Then a familiar voice broke through the cotton barrier.

"Finally caught up to you, princess. Alright Sven, let's get out of here!"

* * *

"ack ahhhmmmm fARGH ffffurrrrr KILLYOU kroffffurllll"

A sack of potatoes was thrown on the ground in a huff. The sound of a knife cutting through rope followed by the sound of a boot meeting a blonde forehead.

"Aiee.. would you cut it out! I have a knife you know."

Anna throws the rest of the sack off herself. "What? You're gonna assassinate the princess now, is that it?"

"No. But if you cut yourself on my knife with all your kicking and flailing, it's not my fault. Iduna would understand."

"Ew. Please. Do not say my mother's name like that. It's 'her majesty' remember?"

"Sure thing 'your highness'", he said with not so subtle mockery.

Anna collected herself and remained seated on the ground with her fluffy skirt sprawled about. She swirled her ginger braids around to take in her new confines.

_Hmmm. High ceilings. White walls. Chandelier. Paintings. Lacquered floor I could see myself in._

_Yup. I'm in a castle._

"There's a chair behind you."

"No thanks. I'm fine right here", she said as she crossed her arms like a child caught misbehaving.

"How did you find me anyway?"

Kristoff looked at her with an eyebrow raised to the top of the ceiling.

"Really? I found you in a bakery. It's literally the first place I looked."

"Darn my predictable stomach..." she hissed at herself. Kristoff had planted himself next to the door. No doubt, guarding against any attempt at escape. Anna began inspecting the room for any other avenues. Windows? Fireplace? Latrine?

Then she started to hear voices from the other side of the door. She stood up and made her way forward. Kristoff visibly stiffened.

"Don't get any ideas princess.."

She shrugged her shoulders and tossed a braid. "Relax, doofus. I wanna hear who's talking."

She bent down to press her ear up against the unnecessarily large keyhole in the door. She could make out the words of a conversation. They sounded far away, down a hallway maybe. As they walked closer she could begin to make out what they were saying.

"...about the itinerary for the music festival, sire?"

"Music festival? Why must I attend the music festival? Isn't that number sevens purview?"

"Prince Eric is not presently within the kingdom, sire."

"Of course he isn't. Let me guess, traipsing around in his toy ship playing pirate again is he? Where is he this time? The western colonies? The southern colonies? Or is he just sailing around in circles outside our door?"

"I believe he is in the Hamediye Empire, sire. Helladias I believe."

"Wonderful. Decrepit statues and rotten olives. Please tell me he at least took the infernal dog with him?"

"Aye... sire. Sir Max is indeed with him."

"Thank God for small mercies."

_They're walking this way. I can hear heeled boots thumping along the carpet._

Anna backed away from the door. She looked around for a way to make an imposing first impression. She opted for the chair, taking a seat, crossing her legs, making sure her braids are in place, and resting her wrists over her knee.

"What are you doing?" Kristoff asked, not entirely caring.

"I'm putting on an air of grace and sophistication."

"You look like a pig keeper."

"Says the guy who sleeps with a reindeer in the stables."

"Touche"

Anna had mentally prepared herself for the first meeting with her captor/ fiance. Whichever prince he was, he was the last which meant the youngest. Most likely spoiled beyond belief. Exceedingly rotund, with short stocky legs, a greasy beard, balding, no manners. Got everything he ever wanted in life.

The door gently swung open.

Anna nearly fell off of her chair onto the mirrored floor.

Chestnut hair, chiseled features, impeccably tailored suit that showed off all the right curves of the male form.

"Your highness! Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

_Whoa. This guy would almost be, kind of, attractive. If I was into that sort of thing._

"I am perfectly fine, thank you."

"I'm so relieved. Ahem, where are my manners? Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles. It's a pleasure to finally meet you… princess."

He performed a deep bow, performing all of the customary accoutrements of an official royal meeting. Took one of her hands that was resting on her knee and was about to place a gentleman's sign of respect on the top when…

she swiftly slipped it out of his velvety gloved paws.

"Whoa there, buddy. Nice try, but this princess ain't falling for the whole 'Prince Charming' routine."

"Your highness, I'm so sorry. You must have been through quite the ordeal while in the clutches of that evil witch."

Her eye twitched with a ping of anger.

"Not like the ordeal I'm having right now in the clutches of evil princes and stable boys."

He stood up, back straight as the massive door behind him. He turned and seemed to finally notice the other person in the room.

"Kristofer."

"Hansel."

They stood there with eyes mutually boring into one another. An invisible shoving match occurring in the space between them.

_Bleh I can practically taste the testosterone pooling._

"Would you leave us please? The princess and I have a lot to discuss."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I take orders from the Queen of Arendelle. And my orders are to bring back the princess, safe and sound. I'm not letting her out of my sight."

"You will take orders from the reigning monarch of the kingdom you currently find your muddy boots to be standing in. Which, at present, would be me. You may stand outside the door, if you wish, but do not worry. The princess isn't going anywhere."

_That's what he thinks._

Another few beats before Kristoff moved.

He slowly uncrossed his arms and turned toward the door. As he did so, he looked at Anna with a beady glare. He pointed two fingers toward his eyes and then turned them toward her in the gesture of 'I'm watching you'.

With angry, V shaped brows and her bottom lip pushed up toward her nose in mock defiance, she returned the gesture in kind.

Fingers to her eyes, then swiveled toward him, then swizzled in the air, wiggled in front of her nose, walked across her open palm, fiddled together against her other fingers, finally clenched fists coming together in two balls, and seemingly exploding with her mouth making a small 'o'.

"Huh?" he said.

"Oh you heard me."

He just shook his head in apathetic confusion and walked out the door. She heard the thump of his back leaning against it on the other side.

"Let's drop the pretenses then, shall we princess?" His compassion and condolences evaporated into thin air.

"Speak for yourself" Anna said as she recrossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Do you have any idea how important you are? Your kidnapping…"

"Escape."

"has the entire Norslands in a succession crisis."

"I highly doubt…"

"You are the _only_ heir to the throne of Arendelle. The most mysterious, and prosperous, kingdom of all the Norslands. The Southern Isles may have more money and trade, but Arendelle is nigh on _idyllic_. And it has no king. No male heir. If you or your mother dies, the entire kingdom will most likely be dissolved amongst the other kingdoms.

"Our marriage was going to secure Arendelle's future. I would be king, and we would have a legitimate heir. But then your capture…"

"I raaaaaaaaan awaaaaaaaay!" Her head gyrated around in a slow circle to emphasize the seemingly hundredth time she's had to say it.

"Your mother is very worried about you, you know. Worried about your safety, your future, your….soul."

"Excuse me..?"

"Tell me, when did the creature bewitch you? How young you must have been when your mind was tainted…"

"What in the holy fuck are you talking about?"

"Your mother has told me many interesting tales about you. I must say, I feel like our arrangement is more about saving you than it is about the kingdom. I…proposed a solution to your mother for her dilemma that wouldn't involve you. Your mother is not that aged yet, and she is quite a… handsome woman."

"What? Ew. What is this some kind of Southern Isles torture method?"

"And she is an _amazing_ …. dancer."

"Jesus, please stop talking."

"Despite my… best efforts, she refused my offer."

"I'm gonna hurl on this expensive floor. I hope it hits your boots."

"I hope you understand the situation you find yourself in now, princess. Tomorrow you will be escorted back to Arendelle with me at your side and a full, Southern Isles, military escort. Oh and your stable boy out there may join us if he wishes. You must see that it's your duty. For your Queen, your mother, and your kingdom. I very much look forward to our wedding."

He gave her a thin sickle of a smile laced with indecency and conceitedness as he turned to leave the room. Misguided belief that he had the final word.

Cyan eyes burned with the built up inferno she had been suppressing from the beginning of the one sided conversation. Finally she was able to let out the scalding steam.

She rose to her feet and sent the chair toppling over, for dramatic effect.

"Let me tell you the situation you find yourself in, buster! Arendelle is not just prosperous.. it's _self-sufficient_. Which is something I know the Southern Isles _isn't_. We export way more than we import. Without the constant supply of goods coming from both the Norslands and Diutlands, The Southern Isles would be a worthless chain of islands. "

_Yes I DO pay attention to my lessons, Gerda! At least, when I'm awake._

"YOU need this arrangement WAY more than I, or Arendelle need it. My mother is young, like you said, EW, and I am young. I may not be popping royal babies out like _your_ parents, but you think Arendelle needs you? You think the only way a kingdom can sustain itself is through half brained royal couplings and christened baby boys? The Southern Isles has 9 princes!"

"Thirteen actually."

"WHATEVER. Arendelle has my mother. That's ALL she has ever needed my entire life. We may not see eye to eye on… _this_ issue, but she knows what she's doing."

She took a confident step forward, and had an even more confident thumb pressed into her chest.

"And I know what I'm doing. And what I am doing is breaking out of this castle, finding my _friend_ and living my, God damned, life! If Arendelle needs _ME_ then I will do _MY_ duty which does _NOT_ involve marrying a slimy scumbag in shiny boots and spreading my legs!"

She was huffing and puffing, having finally remembered to breathe. Hans just stared at her, words formulating in the complex web in his mind. Finally, he gave her a look of surprise with just a tint of amusement.

"You're… not like any princess I've ever known."

"I get that a lot."

"Well then… Until tomorrow, your highness." He gave a repeat of his deep bow from before except this one was undertoned by a very imperceptible trace of actual, real, respect. Before he rose, a different kind of smile appeared on his lips.

"I look forward to meeting your…. _friend_."

"Don't get your hopes up. I'll be out of here before she even realizes I was gone."

Anna folded her arms and turned her back on the still bent over prince.

* * *

**Earlier**

"She's been gone a long time…"

Bruni tilted his head toward the girl leaning on the table with her elbows pressed against the wood and her fingers clasped under her chin.

"Ok, it's been barely a minute. Still, you think she's ok? Does she need my help?"

He tilted his head in the opposite direction.

"You're right. That's silly. What would I help her with, anyway."

Nervous, ivory fingers came down onto the table, drumming against the wood in rhythmic disquietude.

"Let's go check on her. Come on, Bruni."

She rapidly stood up, barely giving the magical creature the chance to hop into her hair, having to climb up her braid as it trailed down her back.

She exited through the back door of the bakery, and turned to find the washroom.

"Anna? Are you ok?"

No Answer.

"Anna? Is everything…"

The door swung open. There wasn't a single red or white strand of hair to be found.

Panic.

"Anna? Anna, where are you?"

Her body turned, turned, and turned, her head spinning, her eyes sweeping in all directions.

"Anna! Where are you!?"

She starts to lose control of her breathing. Her chest begins heaving. She looks over the railing into the canal, looks down the nearby alleyways, looks desperately back inside the bakery.

"My friend….. did she…..did you see her? Did she come back this way?!"

"N...no…. I haven't seen her…" said the shaggy baker with visible distress on his face at the panicked woman running in then out of the bakery.

_Oh gods, what do I do? She's gone….She's GONE! She must have been taken…. How am I possibly going to find her in this…..this….._

_I'm…..alone…...in this massive city…..surrounded by_ thousands _of…...eyes. I…. I can't… I can't do this…..Anna…...where are you…_

A single, pristine, speck of pure, crystallized water, floated gingerly before her quivering eyes, landing in her quaking palms.

_No….gods no…_

She looks up into the sky, desperate to not see what she knew was coming.

_Control….control…..I need control…...I don't have control without her…. I need HER! Calm down…..calm….._

She closed her eyes, and clenched her teeth in the vein hope that it would force her breathing to follow suit.

_Focus….._

" _Elsa. Focus on me. Nothing else. Don't worry about them, or the music, or where your feet are going. Focus entirely on me."_

_Focus….calm….I'm calm…..I'm….._

_I…..smell something._

"Bruni, do you smell that?"

The salamander sitting on the top of her head bobbed his own up and down attempting to gain a whiff of what the girl below was talking about.

"It smells like…"

She had closed her eyes again. Her nose was tilted in the air. She walked slowly over, past the washroom, and past the bakery door. It brought her to a halt as she knelt down and inspected a patch of fur sticking to the wooden railing bordering the canal.

"Reindeer…."

The octaves in her voice plummeted like the surrounding temperature. She took off running toward the docks, as the sun faded from existence, replaced by increasingly dark storm clouds.

Her nose would not aid her in her search here so she had to improvise. She found the belligerent hawker in the central square, still trying to flag down new arrivals.

"Ah! Young lady! Welcome back! Have you changed your mind on some of my fine items? Your companion seemed quite taken with the keychain. Would make a lovely gift."

Without warning, and with sudden ferocity, and no pleading freckles in site, Elsa grabbed the hawker by the voluminous fabric that made up his collar, and raised him high into the air. Market stall and all.

"AIIEEE MOMMY!"

"I'm looking for a reindeer."

"A what? Mother of God you're strong…."

"A REINDEER! You know, the animal, furry, grey, with antlers on the top of it's head. Most likely accompanied by a blonde man with no beard, wearing Arendellian clothes. Have you seen either of these?!"

"Yes! YES! I saw an Arendellian man just a few minutes ago. I thought he was just riding a small, shaggy horse. I didn't see the antlers."

"Which way did he go?! Was there another person with him?!"

"He was riding toward the edge of the city….North…. Toward Westergaard Castle. I didn't see anyone else with him. Just a sack of potatoes."

She dropped him to the cobblestone ground. His 'antiques' spilling in all directions. Without even another word she left him behind and began to sprint north. But not before taking a map.

"Hey, wait! That's 5 silver pieces….! ah nevermind….."

* * *

**Back at the Castle**

"Your room for the night, my lady."

The very young, younger than Anna, and meek lady's maid curtsied as she introduced her to her temporary, overnight lodging.

"What? No dungeon? No….Tower? No _guards?_ This Hans guy really has no idea what he's dealing with does he?"

"No, but I do. And you're not leaving my sight until we get back to Arendelle."

Kristoff had propped himself up in a corner of the room, arms crossed, again, and locking his gaze on her every movement.

"Really? You're going to stand there _all night_ and watch me sleep? No thank you."

"What are you gonna do about it?"

Anna raised her eyebrow in his direction with a look of 'oh please' written on her face.

"Excuse me.." she said to the maid who still had her head bowed.

"Yes, your highness?"

Kristoff tried to arch an ear in their direction as the redhead whispered some unknown commands to the maid. The maid then looked at him for a brief second, worry mixed with embarrassment flashing across her face, and then quickly left the room.

"What are you up to?"

"Hmm? Moi? Whatever do you mean?" She batted her eyelashes and pressed her fingers against her chest in an overly dramatic gesture of innocence.

A few moments later a royal butler entered the room and turned toward Kristoff.

"Excuse me…..sire…. The future princess of The Southern Isles no longer requires your services."

Kristoff just looked at Anna, not moving a muscle and not registering the small butler standing in front of him.

"Ahem…...That means that you are no longer permitted to be in her presence…... _sire_. We can make arrangements for your own lodging…. _perhaps in the stables…_ "

"You can't kick me out."

"Oh, but yes I can. Toodles!" She wiggled her fingers playfully in his direction as two large guards entered the room, each one towering over Kristoffs already impressive physique.

"What? This isn't….You can't…. Argh! Fine! Just remember princess. _I'm watching you_."

"Ya well, have fun watching me from the stables! Byebye now!"

The butler turned to address her.

"Your highness. I will post the guards at your door so that you will not be disturbed."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. Thank you though."

"Forgive me, but his highness _insists_."

_Ok well I guess he's not that clueless afterall._

"Very well, then" she said with a visibly audible sigh.

As everyone left the room, leaving Anna to her own devices, she quickly took stock.

_You know….I'm sure Els is doing just fine without me. No need to rush. A little bath never hurt a girl. And it seems they left me some clothes. Let's see. Dresses, dresses, ball gowns, nightdress, boring, boring. How am I supposed to bust out of here with all this fabric? My winter skirt is getting a bit intolerable with this summer heat._

_And not a practical boot in sight. I'm cursed to be stuck in these oversized clogs, that Elsa graciously bought for me, for the rest of my life._

_Hmm...an idea has struck me._

"Excuse me, I require my lady's maid please" she commanded to one of the guards standing outside her door.

Within minutes the same young girl had returned, curtsying again.

"Yes, your highness?"

Anna closed the door behind her. She walked around the girl, who was looking more and more visibly uncomfortable. Blue-green eyes bouncing up and down as they inspected the nervous maid from head to toe.

"Yes, I think this will do. Take off your clothes, please."

"Your highness…?"

"Don't worry, you won't get in trouble or anything. I'll tie you up!"

"Eh.?!"

* * *

_Westergaard Castle. Practically a fortress. It sits at the northern edge of Kobmaahavn, extending out into the water of the straight by a thin strip of road. A natural moat on all sides. High, stone walls, guard towers, sentries walking the ramparts._

_How do I get in?_

Elsa stood at the top of a rocky outcropping on the shore, gazing out toward the castle sitting in the increasingly tumultuous waves. Dark clouds have descended across Kobmaahavn. The summer sun was smothered by the growing storm and encroaching nightfall.

_At least there's no snow…._

_I mean, I could just storm the castle. I could blanket the entire landscape in snow and walk right up to the front door._

_But they have Anna… They could use her against me. Hold her hostage._

_**You could slaughter them all.** _

_I could..no.. NO. I don't want to kill anybody. I need to go in there, quietly. Without alerting anyone. If they know I'm there it will get too dangerous….for them. And for Anna. I can't risk guards trying to fight me._

_I have to be subtle...I need more control._

Elsa closed her eyes. Her fingers danced across the air. First touching her shoulders. The cape shimmered and dissolved. Then brushing against her skirt. It dissipated into thin air. Finally they slid down the strong curves of her body. Her skin-tight garments began to oscillate as before. Glittering in the storm. Intricate and infinitesimal crystalline structures rearranged themselves across her skin. Extending down to the soles of her feet and the tips of her fingers. Covering her bare shoulders and creeping up her neck until they extended all the way past her nose.

The only visible traces of her alabaster skin peeked from around her polar eyes.

She ran those magical fingers over her platinum hair, covering it in a fine layer of crystallized dust. The microscopic ice crystals arranged themselves to match the structure of the rest of her coverings. Her hair went from brilliant, blinding snow drifts to dark, and stormy waves crashing against the walls of her body.

She stood on the top of her rock, a dark figure standing tall against the unnatural, winter storm.

The last traces of sunlight fell behind the white-capped peaks of the darkened waters.

She ran.

Out into the water. Stepping stones of ice forming under every footfall. The waves made it difficult to keep her balance. She ran out into deeper water, then circled around to approach the castle from it's outer edge.

Her newly formed, darkened layer covering her skin blended seamlessly into the navy waters around her. A rogue wave lifted her higher into the air, almost pounding her against the jagged rocks at the base of the castle walls. She leaped into the air at the peak of the crest and flung a tethered icicle toward the stone above her. Instead of piercing the wall, the ice simply reformed on impact, widening and sticking against the surface so as not to make a noise for any guards walking by that stretch of the ramparts.

She landed, feet first, against the rough stone wall, water dripping down her body. The sea spray pebbling across her surface. She raised herself up the wall. Her eyes locked onto one of the corner towers with it's pointed peak high in the sky. She ran in the opposite direction, then turned and sprinted toward the tower, swinging across the vertical wall, suspended by her crystal lifeline.

She swung her left arm in front of her, launching a second tether toward the tower. It curved in midair at her whim to circle around, out of eyesight of the archers. Once it took hold of the sloped shingles, she dissolved her original rope and pushed herself off of the wall causing her to swing out wide over the water, retracting her new rope as she arced, quickly pulling her up to the top of the tower.

She held herself on the steep, slick, roof with a single hand grasping the tall spire at it's point. From her new vantage she could get a better layout of the castle below. A standard, square layout with a wide, central courtyard in the middle.

_How do I find Anna inside this castle? Wait, what's that noise?_

"This is ridiculous! If she escapes, I will laugh in each and every one of your faces! You don't know what kind of monster you're dealing with!"

* * *

"Your highness…?"

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you climbing out of the window?"

"Uh….to escape. Were you not paying attention?"

"Then why did you take my clothes? I thought you were going to pretend to be a maid."

"What? No, that's silly. I'd get recognized instantly. I just needed your clothes because they are more practical than everything else in there."

"Then why did you dress me in a ballgown?"

"Um… because it looks good on you….? Anyway, have fun! Byyyyyeeeee!"

The floating redhead in the window dropped out of sight of the loosely bound yet well dressed maid.

_This castle's old. Rough bricks. Makes it easy for climbing. I'll be at the bottom in no tiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmeeeeeee!_

Anna lost her footing, and fell several feet until she grasped an open window sill. Hanging off the edge by her fingers, she impulsively stole a look at the crashing waves below.

_Who builds a castle out onto the water? Oh wait.. my castle is built out on the water…_

She clumsily climbs into the window, thankful that the corridor was empty for she was not silent.

"Arrg...Eeeiii…. Yaaa…..!" she exclaimed as she tumbled through the window sill, rolling onto her backside. "Holy Christ muffins!"

She smoothed the wrinkles in her new, dark linen skirt and adjusted her white, buttoned shirt with the loose, long sleeves, slightly billowing around her forearms yet cuffed at her wrists. The neckline a little too loose around her shoulders so that it sagged.

_Who dresses their maids like this? Gross perverts, that's who._

She creeped down the dark hallway. Walls lined with portraits and impractical, tiny tables. She made it to the door at the end of the hallway. It led to a stairway that only went down.

_Hmm..down is the right direction…_

She descended the stairs, which spiraled down into dim candle light. At the base of the stairs, which seemed to go on forever, there was a door which creaked open. She tried to open it as slow as possible to lessen the noise, but it just ended up prolonging the screeching sound for eternity. Her face winced at every second hoping that there was no one on the other side.

As she walked through the door, she found herself in a small room, low ceiling, and totally empty except for a central dais in the middle. The walls were perfectly smooth, and white limestone. The low ceiling curved inwards into the walls giving a very slight dome to the room.

Sitting on the dais was a very curious sight.

_Hmm? Who do we have here? It's a statue of an old man. Hey, he's got a shield kind of like Elsa's! He's sitting down with his arms crossed like he's waiting for something._

"Hello. My name is Anna. What's your name?"

She cocked her head to the side, expecting a response.

"You're not as talkative as Joan."

She spun around the room looking for a way out.

"Do you know a way out of here?"

She turned to glance at the statue over her shoulder who had one hand raised to his beard as if hard at thought.

_Hmmmmmmm…...I could have sworn his arms were crossed…_

She looked away, and then whipped her head back toward the statue, sitting with arms crossed over his lap. She peered at him with beady eyes.

_Joan was right. Statues are weirdos._

She encircled the dais, looking for a way out behind the curious statue.

As she made her way back around toward the front of the sitting man, she came upon an extended arm with a finger pointing straight ahead.

"What's that? There's no door over there."

She walked over to the opposite wall in the direction of the stone finger. She ran her hands across the surface and found a thin, nearly invisible, line. As she followed the line with her palms, the dust was brushed away. Then she began to push with all her might. An invisible door began to budge, slightly.

"Oh hey! There is a door here! Thanks friend, you were a great help."

She turned to give the statuesque man a final glance and saw him still seated, with his arms crossed, and his right thumb sticking into the air. A smirk hidden within his limestone beard.

* * *

_That oaf came out of this wing of the castle. Anna must be in here somewhere._

The shadowy figure had swung from her spire, across the open courtyard, and landed on the roof of the opposite side. This edge of the castle was wider than the other. There was no rampart or outdoor guard towers. This section most likely housed the royal living quarters.

She walked along the surface at a crouch, making her way to the outer edge. She peered over the side.

_There….one of the windows has a glow. That might be her._

Elsa fixed another icy tether onto the roof and lowered herself down against the outer wall. She slowly descended, feet pushing off against the stone to carry her weight down. She arrived just above the window and spun herself vertically to hang upside down. She grabbed her braid and wrapped it around her neck so that it wouldn't dangle in view.

Ever so slowly she lowered herself so that the peaks of her magically darkened hair and blue eyes crept over the upper edge of the window.

_There she is! She's been forced to wear a ballgown and then tied up on the bed...Those monsters!_

Without a second thought, she swung into the room. She was greeted by a high pitched yelp and wide…...brown eyes?

"You're not Anna.."

"Princess? Is everything all right in there?" one of the burly guards asked from outside the door.

The poor girl on the bed looked with shock and horror at the masked figure with blackish blue skin staring at her.

"Where is Anna?! And…. why are you tied up?" Elsa half yelled and half whispered.

"I'm sorry. You just missed her. She went out the window. Who are you? Oh… you must be the one that's bewitched her!"

"Excuse me?"

"That's the word around the servants halls. That the princess of Arendelle was kidnapped by a mysterious, and beautiful witch who tainted her mind!"

Elsa blushed underneath her mask at the odd comment.

"No! I did not bewitch her! If anything, she's bewitched me!"

"Yes, she does seem to have that way about her…." the girl said as she looked at her borrowed dress and shoddy binds.

"Did she tie you up and leave you here? Like bait?"

_Anna…..that's not ok._

"Oh, don't worry about me. I am not really tied down. It's just for appearances she said, so that I wouldn't get in trouble when they discovered she had escaped."

"Princess?" said the guard again, more insistently this time.

"I don't have time for this. You said she went out the window?"

"Yes. I believe she went straight down."

_I hope it wasn't straight down into the water….._

Elsa leaped head first out the way she came, a split second before one of the guards opened the door into the room.

"What in God's name is going on here?! Where is the Princess?!"

_Damn! I have to act fast!_

Elsa swung on her rope, and vaulted into a window on the lowest level of the castle. As silent as a snowflake being blown in on the breeze. She landed in a crouch, her rope dissolving behind her. She quickly inspected the dark room that she found herself in.

_Why is this room so large? What purpose does a wide open, empty space serve? Dancing perhaps? There's no one here luckily. Just walls of paintings._

* * *

_Man, it's dusty here. I'm inside the walls of the castle! My castle doesn't have anything like this. I would know, I've crawled every inch of that place._

Anna crawled through a narrow passageway built into the castle walls. Stone and wood encroached on either side of her.

_It's pitch black in here. I have no idea what direction I'm going, big surprise, and the webs are tickling my…..my…._

*ACHOO*

* * *

*ACHOO*

Elsa spun around the empty ballroom. She silently rolled into a corner. Her heart beat picking up. Eyes darting around looking for the source of the noise.

_What was that? I thought I heard a sneeze. Is someone here? Is someone watching me? I don't see anyone….._

The large room was dark and empty. The walls were lined with paintings and portraits on all sides. Elaborate furniture had been covered with equally elaborate drapes against dust.

Then there was another sound.

A *CREAK* in a floorboard.

* * *

*CREAK*

_Shoot! Why are these old castles always so noisy! I hope no one heard that…. Hey, what's this? Little beams of light coming out of little holes in the wall._

She stood on her tippy toes to allow her big cyan eyes to reach the small portals into the other side.

_It looks like….some kind of ballroom. Doesn't look like it's been used recently. It's so dark it's hard to tell…._

* * *

Elsa hugged the wall like a spider. She slowly glided her body along, her knees bent and head low. She came upon an exceptionally large portrait. It spanned nearly ten feet across and reached the high ceiling. Depicted on it's canvas was a man with chestnut hair and high cheekbones sitting atop a cream colored horse sporting alternating white and black stripes in its mane.

With her body flat against the wall and looking nearly parallel across the surface of the painting, Elsa could, just slightly, detect movement _within_ the painting.

_What is that? The painting is moving as if….as if it's hollow on the other side. Like it's being brushed against by a wind or a breath….._

The hackles on the back of her blonde neck erected once more.

_Someone is watching me. They know I'm here. I have to take them out before they alert the rest of the castle to where I am._

As she crept closer to the painting, all of her focus trained on the swaying fabric, she failed to realize that her foot brushed against the leg of a table resting against the wall.

*KNOCK*

* * *

*KNOCK*

_What was that!? There's someone in that room...Do they know I'm back here? Maybe it was a mouse…_

_Is it just me, or does it feel like it's getting colder in here…..?_

* * *

Elsa brought her hand up in front of her. She pressed her fingers together, fully extended, and formed a light layer of ice ending at a sharp point.

_I have to be quick. Don't let them make a sound._

_Straight through the heart._

She crouched down, muscles coiled and tense, readying for the attack. Her blade waiting for the release of pressure from her arm to plunge it into her unseen foe.

And then she struck.

* * *

_I don't see anything…._

In the span of a fly's wing beat, she heard a *RIPPP* and then felt a deep cold on her chest….

* * *

*RIPPP*

Elsa was quick and decisive. She penetrated deep into the heart of the painting…..

and then split her fingers to curl around loose fabric hanging off the hidden body. She pulled with such force that the hidden figure was torn out of the painting as if a soul exorcised from the oil and canvas body.

She slammed the figure down, flat on the ground as she straddled over the body, ready to silence them with an icy bind.

And then she felt a familiar sensation across her face.

*SLAP*

A wall of ice instinctively formed to protect her from the blow, but the open palm passed right through the instantaneously liquefied surface, landing hard and wet across her masked face which also liquefied at the touch of cold dwarven steel.

And then she heard a familiar voice in her ears.

"Let go of me, jer…...Elsa?!"

Every fiber in her pale body froze.

"Anna?! What….How..? Why were you inside of a painting?"

"I think the more important question here is; What did you do to your hair?"

Without thinking, her freckled fingers brushed against the dark navy locks. As the crystallized hair met the enchanted ring sitting on her finger, the magic was brushed away like a layer of fine dust revealing the familiar platinum waves hidden underneath.

"Whoa….that's so cool!"

Again without thinking, Anna kept running her fingers through the hair, brushing off the dark dust almost as if she was washing Elsa's hair.

"Anna….Stop that… This is not the time! There are more important things at hand!"

Anna giggled.

"This is so fun."

"Anna!"

"Ok, ok. I'll stop. For now…"

Anna gave her a short pout but quickly pulled it back when she realized a tear had fallen on her cheek from the face hanging above her.

"Els? Are you ok?"

Elsa nearly choked on her words

"Am I ok?! You were the one kidnapped! Are _you_ ok?! I was so worried….I thought I lost you!"

"You can't lose me that easily, remember? As if Kristoff could successfully capture me."

Elsa choked back her tears and her face was washed with an awkward relief.

"I'm…...I'm rescuing you by the way."

"I noticed. Even though you almost killed me just now."

"I wasn't going to kill whoever it was behind the painting."

"I would have made it back to you on my own, you know. Still, it's nice to know my knight in….dark, skin tight armor…? is ready with the rescue."

Yet again without thinking, Anna placed a comforting hand on Elsa's chest. The two women were still lying on the ground, Anna on her back and Elsa above her. Newly washed braid hanging down over her shoulder so that the tip rested against bare freckled skin….

_I'm kind of lost in a sea of enchanting blues right now, but there is something nagging at the back of my mind….Something seemingly important that I am not noticing….I can't quite….put….. my finger on….. it…._

She looked down at her hand, which was resting against, not dark icy fabric, but pale, smooth skin, with a glowing ring frosting at the touch.

_Wait….what happened to her…...oh, cinnamon sticks…_

Her face became blazing red, and she looked to see that Elsa's was also imbued with an ever deeper shade of pink. Except Elsa wasn't looking down at the hand on her bare chest. Her gaze had drifted down toward her braid, which was swinging and brushing against exposed peaks with pink capped tops.

_Hey, that tickles..! Wait, what happened to my shirt? What is this, like pull-away fabric? I really need to have a talk with whoever's in charge of this place._

Before either woman could comment on the awkward position they found themselves in, the doors to the ballroom burst open and someone else found them in said awkward position. Several someones in fact.

They both looked toward the doors, and at the host of men standing in them. They were met with stares of confusion…. and revulsion. Not knowing why she blurted it out, Elsa said "It's not what it looks like!"

Anna looked at Elsa with confusion, then looked at the lead man, who turned out to be Hans, with worry, then looked back at Elsa with determination, and finally back at Hans to say the words,

"Yes. It is totally what it looks like! Elsa! FROST 'EM!"

* * *

**Outside**

"Hey Sven, do you feel that?"

"It feels like an avalanche," said the reindeer, through the same voice box as the huntsman.

"That doesn't make sense Sven, we aren't in the mountains."

A deep rumbling shook the castle, and then the blonde and his reindeer were petrified as the eastern wing of the castle burst with snow from every orifice. Every door, window, chimney, and balcony spewed soft, fresh powder in all directions, spilling out into the central square creating a rolling snowdrift.

A large, crystal ball burst forth from the snow, receding to reveal two figures standing impossibly atop the delicate surface.

"Jeez, Elsa. A little overkill don't ya think?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…. It just burst out of me."

"I'll say…"

Elsa was still breathing heavily, not from the magical exertion, but from the lingering embarrassment.

They heard a royal pain, trying forcefully to wade through the thick white with his entourage. "Get them! Capture the witch! She's kidnapping the princess!"

"Hurry Anna! We have to go!"

"Hold on, let me get my shirt…..back together….. Aw jeez! You couldn't have been more gentle when you grabbed me?"

Anna was hopelessly struggling to get her shirt to stay covering her modesty when Elsa hurriedly walked over and, without saying a single word, ripped the rest of the shirt off the startled girl.

"Elsa! I thought this was _not_ the time…"

"Be quiet!"

She closed her eyes and placed her cool hands on Anna's bare, freckled shoulders causing the red in the girl's face to reignite with new fury.

From her hands, radiated a cool and tingling sensation across Anna's skin. It dripped down her body to meet the skirt at her waist. She let out a whimper as the ethereal magic of the woman standing so close to her body, wrapped itself around her exposed breasts and down the line of her back.

"Are you ok..? Did I...hurt you?"

Anna didn't even realize she had closed her own eyes and was lost in the enrapturing of her flesh within the cool embrace of the other woman. She looked down and saw that she was covered in a simple, form fitting shirt, more or less resembling the top that Elsa herself wears. Complete, or incomplete, with bare shoulders, and with a crystal structure oriented so that they shown green in the light.

"That was…. thrilling. We should do that again…" she said in a breathy exhale.

"Can we escape now?"

"But bare shoulders? Really? You know how I feel about my splotchy nubs."

"I like your shoulders. And your freckles. They are cute. Now, we are leaving!"

Without waiting for a response she turned and stormed across the snow, toward the exit of the castle. A grinning redhead trailing behind her, hand in hand.

Elsa stopped as she saw the veritable army storming the square from the narrow entrance.

"What do we do now Elsa?"

Elsa looked around for a means of escape. She desperately searched for an option that wouldn't involve leaving a trail of blood behind them.

"I have an idea, but I've never done this before so bare with me."

The artist went to work. Hands carving through the air. Magical chisels chipping away at swirling ice as it formed and reformed. Sweeping lines, graceful angles, with sturdy walls and smooth runners. A white and blue sleigh rising out of the snow and fog generated by the artist's imagination.

She stopped her hands in midair, and channeled an entirely different kind of focus. A cold sweat dripped down the side of her head. Her hands were not clenched with raw power as if forming her shield, but instead soft and loose as if molding clay.

Except she wasn't molding clay. She was molding life. Life born of ice…. and love. A piece of her poured out like water from a jug into a mold that formed into a magnificent facsimile of a hart. Two harts in fact. Standing tall and elegant out of the snow, their antlers piercing into the heavens. Their snowy pelts were as white as their creators' hair, but one was adorned with speckles of faint blue while the other had a swath of shimmering red cascading across it's hide.

"Elsa… did you just….. make something…. alive?"

"We don't have time to think about it."

Elsa grabbed the astonished girl and practically tossed her into the magical sleigh. She then sat in the front seat, glowing blue reins forming from her hands and extending to the harts before her.

_I….. I really have no idea what I'm doing. Are they alive? How do I command them? What if this didn't work and they just stand there like statues? We have to escape. Please, please get us out of here!_

The harts took off.

The sleigh dashed through the rolling snow, across the expanse of the courtyard. The befuddled guards at the entrance of the castle were standing with pikes at the ready. The gates were closed and a wall of piercing metal stood before their escape. Reaching her arms out in front of her, Elsa commanded the snow beneath them to rise as if she were the moon tugging at the waves below. The white wave rose high above the guards, high above the gates, high above the walls. And then plunged downward on the other side.

"WOOOOOO!" Anna was screaming. Her hands were raised in the air and her stomach was nearly in her throat. The steep decent over the wall gave the exhilarating sensation of flight for an ever so brief moment.

Elsa had felt the rushing wind in her hair before, soared above the forest, sailed down a mountain side. But she had never felt the childlike joy that was radiating off of the beaming, tear welling, blissful to a fault, ginger haired girl bellowing her happiness at the top of her lungs with a white streaked, copper braid trailing behind her.

"They won't be able to follow us through this snow on their horses and carriages," Elsa said with misguided confidence at their escape. It was soon corrected.

"Uh…..Els? We've got a problem."

Elsa glanced over her shoulder. To her astonishment, another sleigh burst from atop the castle gates, following the trail of snow at incredible speed.

"How is that possible?" she said as she realized the sleigh was being pulled by another antlered creature.

Anna was leaning over the back of their own sleigh, watching as the pursuer gained incredible ground. She yelled out to the other driver.

"You brought your sleigh with you?! In the middle of summer!? You're such a loser!"

"It's called being prepared!" He yelled back at her. "Nothing can outrun a reindeer in snow! Make this easy on yourself and give up!"

Rage and annoyance welled up in Elsa. "Did he just challenge me in my own element? How dare he!"

"Calm down Els, he's just being an idiot."

Suddenly there was a *SHINK* with a *CRACK* and Anna looked as a shiny bit of serrated metal jutt through the back of their ice sleigh. Peering over the side again, she saw an arrow attached with a rope extending back toward Kristoff as his own sleigh began to come up toward them.

Elsa threw her arm out sending a blast of cold in his direction to try and knock him back. He somehow brushed it off, the cold energy harmlessly being absorbed and redirected by his thick armor. He had donned an intricate combination of furs and leather made from walrus hides. A wool mask covering most of his face as well as reinforced arm guards.

He reached a hand behind his back and pulled out an obscenely gargantuan hunk of metal. It somewhat resembled a sword but it was jagged with massive teeth and was far wider than any common blade. He swung it down with both hands and it sliced through the sleigh of ice as if it was made of paper; shoring off a corner.

_I'm too focused on the harts. I can't channel my energy enough to fight him off and direct these creatures at the same time. But I will not be bested by this…. ice carver!_

The two sleighs sped through the forest. Snow drifts formed underneath them as they went, as well as from the ever increasing summer blizzard forming over the Southern Isles. The harts bounded through the snow with relative ease, but they were still no match for the wide footed stride of the powerful reindeer running atop the snow as if it was a smoothly paved road.

The sleighs were side by side, knocking into each other. Kristoff made ready to slice the other sleigh in half with his ice cleaver. Elsa no longer had a choice. She forced her concentration to split. Harts continued their flight through the forest, while she summoned her shield and spun around into the back of her sleigh just in time to deflect the serrated teeth from separating her from Anna again.

An icicle launched out of her left hand, but the lack of focus only generated a small spear that bounced off of his thick, walrus hide. He swung at her again, and again, teeth scraping against smooth glacial ice.

"I've never met any ice that I couldn't cut through!"

"Then allow me to introduce you!"

She brought her shield arm up, and flung it across her front, launching the shield off, and straight into the opposing sleigh. It narrowly missed any of Kristoff's extraneous body parts, and punched through the middle of the wooden, and expensive, royal huntsman's sleigh.

"Hey! I just finished paying this off!"

The ill-fated sleigh started to splinter underneath his feet. Pulling her arm back toward her chest, the shield retracted to it's master with their invisible, magical link. As it pulled out from the wood, the sleigh burst into an explosion of lacquer and supplies.

And then several things seemed to happen at once.

The world slowed. The rushing trees became snails crossing the landscape. A shield suspended in the air seeking an arm to rest on. A leather-clad hunter sailed, arms outstretched, with an ice pickaxe in one hand, ready to anchor into the back of the smooth surface of the magical sleigh.

A ginger haired girl sat in the back, staring and watching and wondering at all of these things flying through the air around her. A sack of carrots spilled out through the void. A crossbow and it's arrows, strewn about in a prickly trail behind them. Chunks of wood, splintered against the side of her own, damaged vessel.

Her wide eyes fixated on one of the pieces of wood. It sailed over her head, spinning end over end. A wide bottom with a thin neck, swinging in circles above her. Not really knowing why, she reached her hand up with her palm open. The thin neck landed square in her grasping hand, the feel of strings pressing into her skin.

The world resumed its revolution.

A shield wrapped gently on an arm, a pickaxe jammed forcefully into the back of the sleigh, and the masked hunter hanging off the end looked in fright as his lute landed in the crafty paws of a fox.

She looked at the lute in her hand, and then turned her mischievous irises to its owner. Her eyelids slowly descended half way as a naughty grin curled around itself and her invisible, furry ears twitched with playfulness.

"Don't. You. Dare."

The fox bared her grinning teeth and wiggled her impish fingers one last time.

"Toodles!"

With the force of both arms, the lute came careening toward the, still mending, face of the poor hunter. A second explosion of wood erupted around his padded nose with enough impact to send him somersaulting into the snow below. Left to ponder where his foxy prey had run off to, whenever his consciousness, and his pride, had returned to him.

* * *

"Woo! Ya!" Anna screamed at the top of her lungs with her arms raised high in the air, and her legs bouncing up and down with jubilation.

Elsa looked at her with surprise and relief as her fatigued concentration could finally return to the magical creatures she had summoned. She dissipated her shield and climbed over the front of the sleigh to sit in the driver's seat, glowing blue reigns in her hands, and calming deep breaths entering her lungs.

Her calm became hindered by two arms appearing in front of her, sliding over her soft shoulders and coming together atop her rapidly beating chest. She felt a warmth rest against her cheek, radiating from the adrenaline and excitement pumping through the veins of the other girl.

_Wha….what is she…!?_

A strange sensation occurred across her cheek. A softness brushing against her skin, as delicate as a butterfly's wingbeats. A tingle rippled and spread down her entire body at the touch of the perfect lips against her skin. It lasted for a split second, but felt like a century as her heart stopped in that moment.

Her skin emblazoned with such a deep pink that it poured out from her body, into the sleigh beneath her and the two harts dashing in front, giving everything a wash of rose.

Then a voice entered her pink ears from the girl pressed up against her back, with her arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Thanks…. for saving me."

Elsa turned her head to stare into those wide, cyan eyes as she raised one of her own hands to rest gently on the arms across her chest.

"Always.."

She drank every last bit of the wide smile across the freckled face as Anna slowly, reluctantly, pulled her arms back across her shoulders.

Anna, awkwardly, climbed over the banister to sit next to Elsa, bare, freckled shoulders resting against the still dark clad skin of the other woman. She stared dead ahead, toward the ongoing journey before them.

"Goodbye, Norslands. Diutlands, here we come! I hope you're ready!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Fake Words
> 
> Kobmaahavn - Misspelled version of the historical name for Coppenhagen  
> Danskr - Dane or person from Denmark aka Southern Isles  
> Ostarrbrøds - Pastries from the fictional kingdom of Ostarreich. Inspired by Austria. What we in the USA think of as 'Danishes or Danish pastries' are actually called wienerbrød in Denmark which refers to a style of pastry brought to Denmark from Austrian bakers.  
> Hamediye Empire: Empire named after the founder, Hamed. He is the ancestor of Jasmine. This is a deep dive canon of the 90's Aladdin tv show.  
> Helladias: My fictional interpretation of Greece.  
> Did someone say teeeeaaaaasseeeeeee
> 
> Dutch Words
> 
> Kongens Nytorv - The King's New Square. A central location in Coppenhagen  
> Snegl - Snail i.e. cinnamon roll style pastry  
> Onsdagssnegle - 'Wednesday Snail'. I'm not sure why but there is a thing in Denmark where you eat these swirl pastries on Wednesday specifically. Lots of bakeries even have discounts on them on Wednesday.
> 
> A/N:
> 
> What's with the statue? The statue is based on a real statue that sits inside Kronberg Castle, near Copenhagen. The statue is of Holger the Dane, a great Danish viking hero said to sit in the castle until Denmark is threatened in which case he would awaken and defend the Danish people.
> 
> Poor Kristoff. It's almost like I have some kind of vendetta against him. I swear I don't. I think things will get better for him, eventually.
> 
> Next we head to the kingdoms of the Diutlands! (Yes, Plural) I will be spending a lot of time here in my fictional Germanic lands. Have fun!
> 
> If you enjoyed this story and want to be a part of the community, join the Elsanna Shenanigans community on Discord at /TU9NpnH (copy and paste that URL) or search for the Elsanna Shenanigans tumblr for a link.


	6. Mini-Episode: Campfire Stories - Fishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa teaches Anna how to fish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the first mini-episode, or short if you will. I will have these sprinkled throughout the narrative. They are short, simple anecdotes that don't have much in the way of plot or anything heavy. Really just fluff pieces. I wanted to capture these interstitial moments between the grander adventures. Mostly focusing on slice of life. I hope you enjoy!

Blue heavens drip onto blue waters broken by blue skin bobbing along the placid surface. Pudgy feet dangle in the underwater sky. Relaxed, bulbous eyes rest on the plane between air and liquid. They stare into nothingness, lost in absent thought until the calm is penetrated by a force of nature.

*SPLASH*

The little body starts riding the displaced waves. Those bulbous eyes awaken from their stupor to see the towering figure in white standing thigh-deep in the water.

"Damn! Got away again."

Bruni continued to float along the surface, gently moving with the current from the ripples caused by another failed fishing attempt. He stared up at Elsa as she scanned the transparent barrier of the water for more prey.

"What are you staring at?"

He continued to stare.

"I know you want to talk about it, but there isn't anything to talk about. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek."

He stared more intently.

"Of course, it doesn't _mean_ anything. That's just how she is. Kissing on the cheek is 'girlfriends lesson number 11' or something, I'm sure. Girls kiss each other on the cheek all time… I think. Besides, I'm not a man so it obviously was just a gesture between friends."

The stare remained unbroken, unblinking, unmoving from its victim.

"Don't you have a fire to start or something?"

Wide, yellow orbs seemed to fill her entire vision. A pink, fleshy tongue appeared, seemingly in slow motion, raking across the membrane. Cleansing any particulates from obstructing the never-ending scrutiny.

Elsa placed her hand in the water and caused a tiny wave to carry the little blue salamander toward the edge of the lake. The pudgy feet found pebbles underneath them as the wave brought him to the shore. A commotion further up, out of the water caused the amphibian to curiously seek the source.

He slowly meandered away from the pebbly beach and onto long grass, with blades towering over his head. Suddenly a downpour of deadwood plummeted around him.

"Oh, sorry Bruni! I didn't see you there. Come to help me with the campfire?"

Bruni turned his gaze up from the pile of sticks to the always smiling one above him.

Her voice rang out through the sky above.

"You catch anything yet, Els?!"

"Not yet!" Elsa cried back from her stalking in the water.

"Why don't you just freeze the lake and then pop the fish out like fishscicles?"

"I do not need to ruin an entire lake for the sake of our dinner."

"Well, something must be easier than catching them with your bare hands."

"As a child, I would freeze them. Eventually, I learned to make spears of ice for fishing. But catching them barehanded helps me train my focus. It also keeps the fish more intact than impaling them with spikes."

"Whatever you say, forest girl."

Bruni watched as Anna sat down next to the pile of branches she had placed in the small clearing that she had made for the future fire. She inspected her newly crafted magical garment, a short and simple green shift dress made of woven ice that was thin as silk. A temporary solution that Elsa came up with while she set aside the maid's skirt to be more refined into a functional traveling outfit.

"Have you caught anything yet?"

"You literally _just_ asked me that."

"And….?"

"And, the answer is still no."

"Are you sure you know how to catch fish?"

"Maybe you would like to try?"

"Is the water cold?"

"How should I know?"

Suddenly, Elsa heard the sound of clumsy splashing behind her. Clad in nothing but her shift dress, Anna began wading in her direction.

"Whew! Cold, cold, cold! Feels nice in the heat."

"What are you doing?!" Annoyance grew on Elsa's face as the other girl was no doubt scaring away any of the fish with her wide strides and heavy steps.

"Well, you seem to be having problems so I'm here to help get us some dinner."

"I am not 'having problems'. It's just hard to concentrate."

"How come?" Anna asked with a tilt of her head.

"Maybe because there's a loud redhead buzzing around my ears."

Somehow, Bruni doubted that was the reason.

"So, come on! Teach me the ways of the forest."

Elsa looked at her with doubtful pessimism.

"You want to learn how to catch a fish with your hands?"

Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Girls' gotta learn sometime."

"Ok then. First, you have to stand totally still."

"Right! That sounds easy enough."

"Are you sure about that? You're still bouncing."

"I am? Ops. Ok, I got it. Still as a rock. Ready!"

They took up their positions. Elsa stood poised and ready, her body still yet tense, standing gracefully in the water like a crane stalking its prey. Anna, on the other hand, stood waist-deep in the lake, her legs spread and arms held out more resembling a juvenile bear ready to wrestle its opponent into submission.

"Now that you are standing perfectly still, barely even breathing, you wait."

"Right! I wait. For how long?"

"For however long it takes a fish to swim by us."

"Got it! And….. How long does that take?"

"As long as is necessary."

"Gotcha! Waiting… patiently…. Here, fishy fishy, come to Anna….."

"Taunting them won't speed up the process."

"You won't know until you try."

"If and when you see a fish, you must strike quickly and decisively. Like a lightning bolt. Try to pierce the water with your fingertips. Remember that the water plays tricks on your eyes and the fish will not be exactly where it appears to be."

Anna nodded her head in acknowledgment. Her brows furrowed in concentration and her eyes scanning the surface for dinner.

"The most important thing is to make your presence as subdued as possible….."

"FISH!"

A loud *SMACK* followed by a *SPLASH* as she slammed her palm onto the water and plunged it straight down, grabbing hold of white flesh.

"Wait! That's not…!" An even louder *SPLASH* as Elsa's back hit the water and her foot was yanked out into the air.

"Foot? Ohmygod Elsa!"

Anna let go of the foot and it slammed down back into the lake, splashing Anna with cool resentment.

The top of Elsa's platinum head slowly rose out of the water. Her eyes glaring just over the surface at the embarrassment quickly spreading over Anna's face as she slowly began backing away.

"Sorry! It's….uh….. hard to see what's down there.." She gave a winced, apologetic smile with a question mark at the end of the appeal for forgiveness. Elsa continued to glare, her entire body still submerged.

"Please don't be mad at me.."

Suddenly, Anna felt two strong hands tightly grasp her ankles and she was yanked into the cold shallows.

Her head came launching out, water spraying everywhere. As she shook the water from her hair and eyes she could see Elsa, still submerged, staring and…. smiling like a predatory animal stalking its prey in the water.

Anna swung her hand through and up out of the water, sending a wave to splash over Elsa's head. Elsa burst out with a laugh as she returned the gesture with interest, swinging both of her arms so that a wave crashed against copper hair.

Bruni continued to scrutinize from the shore as the two girls sent splashes back and forth in a ruckus of laughter and water. The other eyeball clearly needed licking.

As the splashing continued, a tremble shuddered up Anna's body and her face became stricken with a look of pain.

"YeeeeooooooOOWWWWWWW!"

"Wha… what happened? What's wrong?!"

"I'm being attacked!"

"What?! What's attacking you?!"

Elsa immediately and reflexively took an offensive position, ready to defend Anna from whatever monster of the lake had decided to assault them.

"I don't fucking know! Just get it off!"

Elsa frantically looked into the water for the source of the outburst just as Anna kicked her perilled foot out of the water. To Elsa's shock, the toe brought with it a long, slippery meal with its jaws clamped down tight around the poor digit.

"I don't believe it... Anna, you caught an eel!"

"That's great, now get it off!"

"No!"

"What do you mean, no?!"

"That's our dinner! Don't let it go!"

"In case you haven't noticed, it's the one not letting go! Get it off me before it chews my toe off!"

"It's just a toe. You'll survive."

"Elsa!"

"Ok, ok. I'll get it off."

Elsa tried to grab hold of the slippery creature latched onto the poor girl's foot.

"Stop moving it around."

"I'm not moving it, it's moving on its own! Just grab it already!"

As the two women thrashed about in the water trying desperately to save themselves from their dinner, a salamander sat on the shore and contemplated. Where in the world are they? Where are they going? Why does he light on fire? Did that eel just slap Elsa in the face? Is that a beetle lumbering into his vision?

Contemplations ceased as fleshy tongue lashed out and a hard crunch resounded from his gummy mouth.

* * *

A purple fire crackled amongst the dry wood and a defeated serpentine fish roasted on a skewer. Bruni sat curled in the flames with his eyes closed and his tail wrapped around him.

"Ow! It hurts…"

"Relax. It's not that bad."

Anna grimaced in pain as she reclined on her elbows into the grass by the warm fire with her feet settled on top of Elsa's lap. Elsa was sitting in a soft bed of snow, with her own feet pointed in front of her and her knees slightly bent. She had the still swollen toe grasped in a cooling embrace.

"Stop pouting. The bleeding has stopped. I think you'll live."

"How come it didn't latch onto your foot? You were standing in that lake a lot longer than I was."

"Maybe I'm just not as tasty as you," Elsa said with a subtle shoulder shrug.

"Besides, you should feel proud. You caught your first fish. Now you're a real fisher _woman_." Elsa gave her a warm glance from the corner of her eye as she continued to soothe the foot in her hands.

Anna instantly brightened. "I did, didn't I? And I did it in minutes when it was taking you hooouuurrss!"

"Ok, no need to exaggerate."

Anna took a slightly more serious and solemn attitude as she looked down toward the fire and bit her lower lip.

"Thank you…"

"Anna, it's not that bad. Really. It's just a scratch."

"No, not that. I mean… thank you for teaching me and… not just brushing me off like an incompetent princess."

"Anna, you are anything but incompetent."

They glanced at each other for a brief moment and smiled before Elsa added, "and next time maybe I'll dangle you out on the lake with a rope to catch a bigger fish."

Anna's smile turned into a threatening scowl. "I will stick this foot into _your_ mouth. See how you like it!"

She brought her uninjured foot up slowly, tauntingly, so that her big toe pointed at Elsa's nose. As she was preoccupied with wiggling her toe in Elsa's face she failed to realize Elsa repositioned her hands so that a single, mischievous finger slowly traced its way along the indent of her sole.

A violent shudder overtook her body as she burst out laughing.

"Ahhh! No fair! That tickles!"

"Then don't stick your foot in my face." Elsa returned the laughter with her own playful smile.

The unexpected shudder across her body caused Anna to fall onto her back so that she was laying down on the grass. She brought her hands up behind her head and stared into the starry night above, melting next to the fire and into the continual soothing caress of Elsa's hands on her burning toe.

Bruni had opened one eyeball from his nap to see what the continual commotion was about. He stood up, stretched his legs and tail out, and belted a yawn. He circled around in the embers of the magical fire and repositioned himself into a fresh curl so that he may dream about laughing water and crunchy beetles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next episode is almost finished!


	7. Episode 5: A Man in Wolf's Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Anna find themselves thrust into a forest caught in chaos. Can they figure out what's going on and save themselves from the darkness that has invaded these woods? And what evils lay hidden within the shadows of the moonlight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence/ Magical animal cruelty/ Strong depictions of pain and injury/ Gore/ Lots of blood

* * *

A low rumble, a sound burrowing through the air as well as the ground. Granules of dirt began to move of their own accord. The trees felt the rumbling in their core, traveling from their roots, through their spine, and out the tips of their leaves.

A rumble became a shake. Rocks bounced off the ground. A shake became a quake, a sound became a wave agitating chests, and mixing with erratic heartbeats and contracting lungs.

Wood shattered in all directions. Wood with no leaves, but nails in their place. No sap, but veins of blood staining the dead rings.

Voices rang out through the destruction.

"Monster!"

In a small village nestled in a great forest there once stood a house. That house now lay under thundering hooves and hulking muscle covered in thick fur adorned with massive horns that protruded from the sides of a broad head, reaching out and then curving forward like grasping hands of bone. A hunched back stood above all the village, towering over man, beast, and home.

Hooves stomped and the ground shook, knocking men off their feet. Hapless spears, arrows, and all manner of farming tools rained down from the sky yet failed to penetrate the thick wall of fur.

The quake returned. The mass of bone and muscle crashed through another house. Horns shattering the walls and splintering the roof.

People ran for their lives in panic. A small boy, desperately trying to keep up with his family, stumbled over the ever shaking ground. He could not gain his balance as the ground beneath him failed to keep steady. The creature barreled through the village, getting closer and closer to the boy trying to run on wobbly feet and shaky knees. The boy looked in horror as death came from above baring teeth and spewing hot breath from wet nostrils.

And then his vision was filled with copper hair.

"Elsa! WALL!"

The air rang with a resounding *THOOM* as bone hit ice. A white wall as thick as five men, side by side, appeared out of thin air. The hooved creature stumbled but easily shook off the impact from the unmarred surface.

Anna looked down at the trembling boy in her arms.

"Don't worry. I got you." She picked up the boy and then turned her head over her shoulder toward the woman standing with her arms outstretched and sandaled feet planted firmly in the dirt.

"Elsa!"

"Get the people out of here! I'll take care of him!" As Elsa spoke, more walls of thick ice rose out of the ground.

"On it!" Anna ran with the boy still in her arms. He looked in awe and wonder at the wall of ice behind them and the woman standing between him and a trampled death.

Anna called out to the men still fumbling with their tools and bows. "Come on! Get to the forest! Let's go!"

They did not, or would not hear her. She shook her head and continued to run until she saw a panicked woman running toward her with her arms reaching out for the boy.

"Here. Don't worry, he's ok. Now hurry, get into the forest. We will take care of this." The woman couldn't help but be washed with relief and reassurance at the warm smile Anna gave her as she placed her son in her arms.

She turned with steel in her eyes and speed in her step toward the men still fumbling with their arrows. "Hey! Hello?!" The men continued to ignore her. She huffed and grabbed one by the collar, forcefully turning him to look into her eyes. His own were shaking with fear and confusion.

"HEY! Drop your shit and get out of here!"

"Wha… who…? What can you possibly do against that thing?!"

"If you get out of here maybe you'll live long enough to find out. Now, hurry! I'm trying to save you here!"

Finally, the men all around her registered the voice and broke their gaze away from the perceived monsters before them. The one with his shirt disheveled from her grasp looked at the others and nodded his head before they all made their way out of the village and into the safety of the trees.

* * *

_Ok, vísundr. I know something is wrong and I don't want to hurt you… but I will stop you._

The great horned creature stood in a box of thick ice. A green light began to speck across its fur. Like fireflies lifting off from its body.

Magic against magic, forces of nature in conflict.

Muscle and fur dissolved into a blanket of green light that weaved into the air and out of the icy cage. The swirling lights gathered behind Elsa and reformed into the towering spirit.

_Well then…_

The spirit charged. Elsa crouched, muscles in her legs tense and hands already working their magic. As the horns got mere feet away from her, she launched herself into the air with a pillar of ice under her feet. A glowing blue lasso appeared from her hands and encircled the right horn. She rooted the other end of the magical rope into the ground with a spike of ice deep into the earth that then fractaled and barbed in the hard dirt, deeper than any tree root.

The spirit stumbled as the force from the rope yanked its head to the side. It quickly regained its footing and attempted to pull free from its leash.

Gliding on a trail of ice under her feet, Elsa skated around the hulking body with speed as she tethered another horn into the ground. Then more and more strands of glowing blue fibers sailed over its body and anchored.

The spirit struggled under the weight of her magic. Elsa stopped her skates in front of the imposing head and walked up to it.

_What's wrong vísundr? Why are you…_

Suddenly she sensed it. Her eyes scanned the face before her and landed at the base of its left horn. She reached out with her hand and immediately felt the presence. Something foreign, artificial, embedded into the bone. Her finger traced over the smooth surface until it found the source and she recoiled from the pain sent into her finger.

_What in the world…?_

She clenched her fist and then reached out again, this time with magic swelling in her palm. A tiny, micro blizzard swirled from her hand onto the base of the horn where bone entered flesh. A small sliver of ice appeared, protruding out of the bone. She pulled with her magic and the ice brought with it…

_An iron nail? Laced with magic…_

As she pulled the nail out from the spirit, it hung in the air of her blizzard until she clenched her fist once more and the nail shattered under the weight of her cosmic storm.

The spirit once again glowed with dazzling magic orbs and dissolved just as her own magical restraints dissolved around it.

_Rest vísundr. I hope I didn't hurt you too much._

The magic swirled in the air and retreated back into the forest.

* * *

Elsa made her way toward the treeline where she found Anna eagerly waiting, as well as a whole village of frightened onlookers.

"Is everyone alright?" Elsa said. She directed her question directly to Anna as she kept herself at an apprehensive distance from the villagers.

"Yes. I think so. Everyone seems a little shaken, but it sounds like one person was in that first house that got destroyed…"

"Damn. At least we made it in time for everyone else."

They exchanged solemn glances at each other for the loss of life before Elsa started to turn away. She was halted in her steps by a voice of a woman coming out from the trees.

"Wait! Please, you saved our lives. How could we repay you?"

Elsa's voice was caught in her throat but Anna had no such impediment.

"Pshh. Don't worry about it! We were just passing by and saw what was happening. We couldn't just move on and do nothing. I'm just sorry we weren't able to save everyone."

A burly voice echoed out from beside the woman who spoke earlier. A tall, bearded man, built like a farmer, shot accusing stares toward Elsa who was still standing behind Anna and becoming increasingly uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"Hold on. I know what you are."

The hackles on Elsa's neck shot up. Anna took a defensive step between her friend and the villager.

"Uh, excuse me?" Anna said, returning his scrutiny with her own stare.

"Anna, we should leave," Elsa whispered from behind her shoulder. The shorter girl refused to budge.

The man continued, "You defeated that monster easily, and those… _abilities_. Yes, fräulein. I know what you are. You… are a monsterjäger!

Anna's scrutiny turned to befuddlement.

"A what now?"

The woman from before interjected, attempting to avoid any other misunderstandings. She did not exactly succeed.

"A monster hunter. You two must be abenteurerin… eh… adventurers! There is a hunting lodge not far from here. You must have been on your way there!"

A candle was lit above Anna's head.

"Ya… Yes! That is exactly what we are!"

"Anna, what are you…?" Elsa was interrupted by a sharp *SHOOSH* from Anna whipping her head around and then quickly back to the villagers who were standing in both awe and confusion.

Anna returned to her fable, "Yes, we are monster hunters from the Norslands! We have journeyed down here seeking…. monsters! And adventure!" She placed her hands on her hips in a confident pose while Elsa became ever more confused and unsure of what was happening.

"We are a little bit turned-around now since we made this detour. Do you mind pointing us in the direction of the hunting lodge?"

"Certainly, fräulein," the man from before said. His scrutiny from before had melted into a warm smile. Anna nodded intently as he gave directions while Elsa made sure to keep a mental note seeing as how the directions were most likely going in one foxy ear and out the other.

Anna made a quick succession of goodbyes to the villagers, making sure to stop and hug the little boy she had saved. The mother insisted on giving the girls a loaf of fresh pumpernickel that she had baked. Anna weakly tried to refuse but was unable to resist the warm bread.

Elsa waited, impatiently, on the road leading out of the village. She was unconsciously tapping her sandaled foot on the dirt ground and had her arms crossed over her chest. Her tenseness immediately relaxed, however, at the sight of Anna bouncing up the path; a large loaf of dark bread in her arms and a honking chunk stuffed in her mouth.

As Anna saddled up next to the taller woman to begin their walk, Elsa could finally let out her confusion.

"Anna, what are we doing? That vísundr was not a monster, and we are not hunters. Why are we going to a hunting lodge, no doubt filled with all manner of men who specialize in killing things like...well, like me?"

"Relax Els! This is perfect. Instead of a witch and a princess, we will become monster hunters. It's a perfect cover! They already believed your powers were a part of us being hunters. It will be so much easier to move around if people believe we are adventurers! Not to mention… it sounds cool!"

Elsa shook her head, "then why do we need to go to this lodge at all?"

"We have to make ourselves seem legit. I mean, it should be pretty easy. We just go in there, tell everyone we are also hunters or jägers or whatever, and then leave! Easy as cake. Maybe they ask us to hunt down some goblin or something. Nothing we can't handle."

Anna took another wide-mouth bite from the fresh-baked bread.

* * *

Anna and Elsa made their way up the well-traveled dirt road. Out of the corner of her eye, Anna noticed Elsa looking at her up and down with a stern look of concentration knitted into her brows. The piece of bread Anna had given her was still in her hands, uneaten.

With a mouth full of her own bread, she muffled out a "What?" toward the scrutinous gaze.

"Are you sure you're comfortable?" Elsa said with her brows still knotted, and her eyes tinted with slight worry.

Anna took a hard swallow of the bread in her mouth before replying.

"I told you, Els, it fits great. Stop worrying about it!" Anna did a little twirl, demonstrating that her new outfit was entirely to her liking.

Using the fabric from the maid's skirt as a base, Elsa had reformed it into a simple sleeveless dress that she then augmented with an outer layer of ice fabric. A bustier that was laced in the front by magical thread down to her waist and then extended into a long skirt down to her still-oversized winter boots. Other than the brown underlayer of the maid dress, the rest of the outfit was a dark green, as requested.

"If there is one thing better than you buying me clothes, it's you making me clothes." Anna shot her a signature, toothy smile which put her eyebrows at ease.

"I mean, a new pair of boots would be great too."

"I told you, boots are too complicated! And I don't even know how they are put together."

"I was kidding! Really Elsa, don't worry about it."

Anna turned to look ahead of them and enthusiastically shot her finger forward with an exclamation. "Hey, look! That must be the hunting lodge!"

The dirt path they had been following so far had been a long road through nothing but dense forest. However, at the head of the road before them stood a looming and discrepant sight standing tall and abrasive amongst the trees surrounding it.

Multiple pointed roofs stood atop a base of dark walls made from darker wood. Small spires extrude out of the main shingled roof like new growths of a tree born out of the main trunk. A single tower rose above all the rest, thicker and taller than the lesser spires.

A castle made of wood deep in its domain of the dark forest.

The girls walked up toward the front of the building. There was not a single sound or hint of light coming from inside.

"I wonder if anyone's even home," Anna said while mentally preparing herself for whatever lay behind the doors. Next to her, Elsa just nodded with her apprehension.

"They could still be out on a hunting party," Elsa said in response as they walked up the short stairs.

Anna slowly opened the door. They were greeted with a vast cavern of a room. From the outside, the lodge appeared to be multiple stories tall, however, the inside revealed that it was actually a large, central space with multiple rows of windows and a very high ceiling.

Multiple round tables were spread out, each arrayed with an assortment of intricately carved chairs. A central fireplace slept off to the side. The windows cast plenty of light, but because of their placement and the shape of the room, it still felt uncomfortably dark with shadows scattered all about.

The high walls were filled from floor to ceiling with the trophies of past hunts. Antlers and horns of all manner of animals. Tusks of varying sizes including some so big they must have been from some unknown creature, white as Elsa's skin but taller than any man and curved into sharp points.

Then arrayed along the lower wall, circling around the entire perimeter of the room…

"Wolves…. So many wolves…" Elsa looked at each one with a look of revulsion on her face. Then a tinge of pain hit her heart as she gazed up at the countless rows of antlers hanging on the walls. Thoughts of her guardian flashing before her eyes.

"I thought these people hunted monsters. I don't understand. I am more of a monster than these animals."

"Ok, for one, Elsa, you're not a monster. Two, lots of people think wolves are monsters. We don't have much of a wolf problem in Arendelle, but maybe down here in the Diutlands they have just tons of wolves attacking people or something."

"I highly doubt that. There are too many here to have just been a problematic pack."

In the stillness of the vacant room, there was a faint sound, almost imperceptible to the ear. Almost.

Elsa's ears perked at the distinctive sound of a *nock* and *fwip* and her hand reacted just in time.

"Whoa, Jesus!" Anna exclaimed as she stared cross-eyed at the tip of an arrow hanging in front of her face with Elsa's hand gripping tight around the shaft.

Putting herself between Anna and the hidden attacker, Elsa cried out, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

From a dark doorway on the opposite side of the room, Elsa caught the shimmer of another arrow tip. It slowly moved out of the shadows revealing a well worn, yet ornate crossbow held by a pair of weathered hands that led toward a hawkish nose and predatory eyes.

"Impressive. Now get out." The voice was craggy and withered. "This is no place for a couple'a princesses to go sight-seeing."

Anna stepped out from behind Elsa and gave a stern look toward the shadowed figure.

"We aren't princesses! And besides, even if we were, you just shoot the first person that walks in your door? Not even a hello? What's wrong with you?"

"Only jägers are allowed in here. Everyone knows that. And if you ain't jägers then you're trespassers."

"We are hunters! From the Norslands."

The man raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You two're jägers? Well then, let's see your marks."

"Uh… our marks?" Anna asked as she looked at Elsa who just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

The man chuckled as he lowered his crossbow and stepped out from the alcove and into the light from the windows.

The two women saw that he was a fairly tall man, quite lanky despite the girth in his midsection from the comforts of a long and successful hunting career.

He wore sturdy riding boots with spurs dulled from use. A long brown cloak covered a simple vest and hunting belt. The top of his head was adorned with a wide-brim hat accented with a tattered feather that looked like it had once been a brilliant gold but had become dim with age and adversity.

He turned his body to the side and pulled back his cloak to reveal an intricately carved horn hanging off of his belt.

"If you really are a part of the jagdgilde then you would have one of these. I'm pretty sure the Norsr guild uses them too. Now, unless your minds had a temporary lapse, I take it you don't have one. So, would you like to take another stab at an excuse as to why you're trespassing into my jagdschloss? Or should I keep firing arrows until you leave?"

Anna stepped forward.

"Hold on a sec! Ok, we aren't a part of the guild, but we want to join."

The man's chuckle subsided to an almost bored looking scowl.

"You two want to become monsterjäger? Don't make me laugh."

In a split second, Elsa twirled the arrow still in her hands and flung it toward its previous owner. It stuck into the frame of the doorway, whizzing past his face. He turned his beady eyes toward the arrow and then back toward the women standing across from him.

He didn't flinch in the slightest.

"We are serious," Anna said. "We've already taken down a mountain troll and a horde of zombies in the Norslands just getting here."

"A mountain troll you say? I don't suppose you have any proof of these…. amazing feats?"

"Well… not exactly." Anna looked a little sheepish at the admission but it still did not deter her resolve.

This time, Elsa stepped forward.

"If you doubt our abilities then let us prove them to you. Give us a quarry and we will bring proof of our hunt. But looking around this hall, I doubt you even have worthy prey for us. We are _monster_ hunters. I see nothing here but common animals. Is this a guild for hunting monsters or chasing rabbits?"

Anna looked at the other woman whose face had become deathly serious.

_Whoa, she's gone into Tronsvyk mode. Nice save! I hope she doesn't break something…_

The man's lips curled into a deep and unsettling smile, fangs bared and eyes narrowing into cutthroat slits.

"These are no animals, little girl. You see, we've had a bit of trouble 'round these parts with a _werewolf_. It's killed twenty people so far. Ten of them were jägers. Blasted creature strikes without warning. No one has even seen it that's been left alive. We had to cull as many wolves as possible to increase our chances of killing it. No telling which of these filthy animals is the bloodthirsty beast."

He placed his crossbow on top of a table and sat down. He then placed his hat next to the crossbow, revealing a pronounced widow's peak, and leaned back into the chair. From under his vest, he pulled out a piece of cloth and placed it on the table, turning it toward the women and pushing it forward.

They slowly, apprehensively, walked forward. They leaned over the table and looked at the cloth. Elsa picked it up and looked at Anna. Anna scanned over the words written in thick, black ink and then looked back toward Elsa who was still looking at her with a question mark across her face. Anna tilted her head in confusion before realizing.

"Oh, you don't know how to read Diutsch do you? Sorry I figured you can read ancient Norsr so…...nevermind. It's a hunting contract. The quarry is a werewolf. Details are vague, there is a description of assumed sightings and killings. And a reward for a successful kill with proof."

"If you little ladies want to get your feet wet, then try that on for size. Just bring the proof of the kill back to me or any other jägermeister and you will be rewarded. Since you aren't guild members yet, your reward will be admission into the guild along with your own mark as proof of membership."

He leaned back even farther in the chair, placed his hands over his protruding stomach, and plopped his feet up on the table.

"Of course, if you can't handle it, you can always go back home and do… whatever it is you people do up in the north. Build snowmen or what have you."

Elsa gave him a look of anger and defiance.

"Just have our mark ready. We won't be long."

"Heheh. I like that. Tell me your name so that I know what to write down in the victim log. Since you hunt as a pair, I only need one name for the record."

Elsa looked toward Anna for what to say. Anna just looked back and nodded her head with a knowing smile.

"Elsa. Elsa Isskjoldr. Don't worry about how to spell it. You won't need to write it down."

"I'll keep that in mind. You may call me Percival von Leitch. Jägermeister of Jagdschloss Steinadler. Happy hunting."

He bid them farewell with a menacing grin and the women were thankful to be rid of his rapacious gaze.

* * *

_I don't like this. I don't like the idea of needlessly killing innocent creatures for the sport of it. And that man clearly has no such inhibitions. But Anna says that having this mark would make it easier for us to travel together out in the open._

_And I trust Anna._

_And if there really is a werewolf out there killing people, then it must be stopped. Still, something doesn't feel right about it._

Anna's comforting voice smothered Elsa's thoughts.

"Looks like this is the place. The site of the first attack."

The women came upon an abandoned farmstead. On the surface, it appeared fairly innocuous except for the unsettling lack of human presence.

"Are they sure it's even a werewolf?" Elsa questioned while beginning to look around. "No one has seen it. It strikes me as very odd that not a single, professional hunter has managed to even get a glimpse of it."

Anna found herself rummaging through a crate.

"If it is a werewolf maybe it has magic. Maybe it's an _invisible_ werewolf."

"Anna, we're not here to steal from this place."

"I'm not stealing! I'm looking for clues." She turned her head to give a poutful scowl. "And isn't the whole thing with werewolves that they are like, cursed people that transform into a wolf on the full moon? So we should be looking for a person?"

"That's just superstition."

"Oh, and dwarves, fire salamanders, and beautiful ice women are totally not." Anna raised an accusing eyebrow as they made their way toward the main building of the farm.

"Werewolves are usually just very large dire wolves that people inflate through their stories. Or they are forest spirits like the vísundr we encountered earlier. I am hoping that is the case and we won't have to kill anything."

"If we don't kill anything, we'll have a hard time proving to Leitch that we were successful."

"I am becoming less interested in proving anything to that man and more concerned with figuring out what's been happening here to stop all this killing, of _both_ people and wolves."

They had walked up to the farmstead home, opened the door, and were immediately hit with a distinctive smell.

"Jeez. It smells like rusted metal."

"It's blood. There is a lot of dry blood everywhere."

Elsa lifted a hand, releasing a glowing snowflake that floated to the top of the dark interior. It grew in brightness so that the inside was illuminated as if in white daylight. Anna cupped her mouth with her hand as she gasped at the large stains of dark, almost black, dried pools of blood.

Elsa walked over to where the owners would sleep. A simple cot of wood and cloth.

"Most of the blood is here. They were attacked in their sleep."

She followed the trail from the bed, toward the middle of the room, and then back to a rear window. She leaned over and looked at the dried blood stains on the bottom railing.

Anna came over behind her. "Did it drag the body outside? To eat it I guess?"

"No. The trail of blood from the bed is too small and narrow to have been made by an animal dragging a body. And the blood on the window is spread out. And there is too much blood in general for it to be a wolf attack. Wolves kill relatively cleanly. This…. this was a brutal killing."

"Again, we have to keep in mind the possibility that this thing is some kind of magical wolf monster. It may not behave like any normal wolf."

"Why are you so Hel bent on killing more wolves!" Elsa couldn't stop herself from subconsciously raising her voice until she saw Anna take a reflex step back.

"I… I'm not! That's not what I said! Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna took a step forward and placed a reassuring hand on Elsa's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Anna. I just.. something doesn't feel right. About all of this. I can feel it inside of me. The forest is unsettled."

"Hey, that's why we're here. We'll get to the bottom of this. Come on, let's head to the last place the contract says they tried to ambush the… attacker. Should be fresher clues there."

Elsa placed a hand on Anna's as it sat on her shoulder. "You're right. Thanks, Anna."

* * *

They found themselves standing in a logging camp, also abandoned and reeking of rusted blood and sawdust.

"The contract says this was the last place that a hunting party tried to ambush the attacker. Five hunters were all killed in the same night."

Elsa paced around the stumps and discarded saws. She made her way from one bloody patch to another.

"The places of attack are all spread out. Whatever it is, it picked them off, one by one. Do these people not know how to hunt as a team?"

"It seems to be an 'every man for themselves' kind of profession," Anna said as she tried to pick up an oversized log cutting saw.

"How did they know to ambush the creature here?"

"The contract doesn't say. Lucky guess?"

"Doubtful. They must have been following a pattern."

"There is a crude map on the back of the contract."

Anna placed the cloth on a nearby stump and translated for Elsa.

"We are here, the logging camp. The first attack was this farm here. Some of these locations seem to have been random. A fisherman by the river, a merchant in the middle of the road. Each time it seems a hunter or two went out and tried to track down the attacker. Some of these are those hunters being killed, usually, out in the middle of the forest, it seems."

"The attacker is trying to maintain a territory. The attacks are all pretty close in proximity. The hunting lodge sits just outside of this ring of attacks. The farm is at the lower edge, near the lodge. The merchant was attacked to the north, on the road leading into this area. The river runs along the western edge. This logging camp is right in the middle. What is to the east of us?"

"Looks like just forest."

"Then that is where we search."

* * *

Elsa and Anna made their way through the dense forest. They had turned off of the road and were slowly trudging through the thick underbrush. The high canopy had cast them in perpetual shadow which was getting increasingly dark as the sun began to set.

Bruni sat on Anna's shoulder with his back aflame for some light.

"Elsa? Are you sure we should be out here when it gets dark?"

Elsa continued to walk through the forest, seemingly unimpeded by the foliage.

"Almost all of the attacks happened at night. This is our best chance to find it."

"Well, me and Bruni are right behind ya."

Elsa stopped.

"A trail. These plants have been stepped on."

"Wolf tracks?"

"No…"

They continued on. The forest began to become littered with large boulders dotting the landscape in between the trees. Elsa easily climbed over them but looked back to see Anna struggling to find a foothold.

"Don't mind me! I'll be up there in no time! Just… give me a sec."

Elsa rolled her eyes and extended a hand down to the poor girl. She lifted her up onto the high boulder where Anna nearly slipped off if it wasn't for Elsa's firm hand behind her back.

"Are you ok?"

Anna couldn't hold back her blushing nod. "Much better now, thanks."

Elsa gave her a slight smile before jumping down on the other side of the high rock.

"Uh, hey. You just gonna leave me up here?"

"Jump down. I'll catch you."

 _You don't have to tell me twice to jump into your arms._ Anna thought to herself as her blush continued in full force.

She leaped off of the rock expecting to land in the strong embrace of the other woman down below. Instead, she was greeted with a very cold reception as she found herself landing in ten feet of fresh snow.

"Yeow! COLD! Elsa!"

"What?"

Anna's head popped out of the top of the snow pile, face red from the sudden chill on her skin instead of the nervousness underneath.

"I thought you were gonna catch me?!"

Elsa was already walking away and just casually turned her head and said, "I did catch you."

Anna just scowled at her back as she shoveled her way out of the snow.

* * *

As the evening descended into nightfall, the women had come up to the base of a large hill. Anna was huffing and puffing as she climbed the loose rocks and smooth boulders toward the top of a ridge.

Once at the top, she couldn't help but be transfixed by the image before her.

_Elsa is just sitting there on the ledge staring out into the distance. She's in her adorable thinking position again with her knee bent up toward her mouth and her arms wrapped around._

_Wow, the moon really is not holding back. It's just bathing her in a glowing light. I've never seen the moonlight glitter off of her before. She looks so gorgeous, yet also forlorn at the same time._

Anna slowly walked up to the moon-kissed woman deep in thought. She knelt down and swung her legs over the edge of the rock, seating herself and looking out over the distance. Nothing but forest basking in the glow of a full moon lay beyond.

Anna turned to look at Elsa and those deep blue eyes that were miles away.

"Are you homesick?"

Elsa took a deep breath before answering.

"Seeing all those slain harts, the rows and rows of antlers in the lodge… I couldn't help but think of Eiki. Being here in this forest that's caught in such turmoil, I can't help but think of my own home. I know this is not my forest, but I feel a kinship here. Eiki protected me, and he protected our forest. This place has no such protector…"

Bruni made his way over, crossing the bridge formed by brushing shoulders, and nuzzled up against Elsa's cheek.

"You feel it too, don't you Bruni? This place may not be our home, but it feels like home. And it's crying out for help."

Anna wrapped an arm around Elsa's back and pulled her in close. Elsa reflexively stiffened from the unexpected contact but allowed the pressure against her shoulder to bring her in close.

"And we are the ones here to help," Anna said as she rested her auburn head on top of Elsa's.

"I know I've been pushing this whole, monster hunter, thing. And I've been ignoring your discomfort about it. And I'm sorry. I guess we aren't really cut out to be hunters after all. The more I think about it, the more I am revolted by the idea of being associated with Leitch anyway."

The stiffness in Elsa's back had given way to the relaxed embrace of the other girl holding her. She rested her platinum hair against Anna's shoulder and shifted her legs so that her body was now leaning against the shorter woman.

_Oooooh man. Me in Elsa's arms? So amazing. Elsa in my arms?! Fucking. Heaven. This more than makes up for letting me land in a pile of snow._

_Jeez, she's been so tense this entire time. I think this is the first time she's relaxed since entering this forest._

Anna gently massaged Elsa's shoulder as they sat there and stared out over the moon-lit forest below.

"Don't worry Els. We'll figure out a way to help everyone. And we'll think of another way to move around than becoming, dumb monster hunters."

Elsa nuzzled against Anna's collar bone causing a shiver of ecstasy to wash over her freckled features and her heart to beat like a humming bird's wings.

"Thank you, Anna."

Elsa's eyes were half-lidded, practically closed with comfort.

"For what?"

"For being my home away from home."

* * *

A sound pierced the moonlight. A sound as recognizable as the crack of lightning and the roar of thunder.

A sound that can strike the hearts of lesser beings with fright and fill those hearts with malice.

A howl

soaring into the heavens.

The two women shot to their feet and spun around toward the call. They were met with a gaze as piercing and blue as Elsa's own. Thick fur as black as the deepest shadows surrounded the glowing irises.

The wolf stood there on the top of the rocky hill facing the girls. Fuzzy, black ears pointed straight ahead, meeting the targets of the glowing blue gaze. His shoulders stood taller than any wolf, almost as tall as the green-eyed girl standing in front of him.

Anna did her best attempt at a whisper toward Elsa's ear.

"Ohmygod Elsa! He's huge! What do we do?"

Elsa never broke her stare.

"Just stay calm. He doesn't want to hurt us."

"Are you sure about that?" Anna's heart continued to race at the sight of the imposing figure staring back at her.

"His ears are up, and he isn't baring his fangs. And… I can feel his magic. He _is_ another spirit."

The wolf took a hesitant step forward. As its body moved, they could see the slight glow of tiny blue orbs in the fur, like drops of magical rainwater cascading down the rustling hair.

As he got closer they also saw something else embedded into the dark coat.

"Elsa… those are… arrows sticking out of his back. How is that possible? I thought no one saw him?"

"Clearly someone saw him."

The wolf stopped. He continued to stare at them but now nudged his nose up and down in the air taking in the unfamiliar scent.

Elsa stepped forward and reached out a hand causing Anna to whisper in a slight panic. "Els? What are you doing?!"

"It's ok, vargr. We don't want to hurt you. We're here to help."

The wolf stepped forward once more. He tilted his head as he tried to figure out what to make of this foreign magical presence in his forest. He sniffed her outstretched hand. Magical blue orbs danced off his fur and swirled around her wrist mixing with her own magical snowflakes radiating off her skin.

_I can feel his magic! I can feel the power… and the pain inside of him. What has happened vargr? What killed those people? Was it you?_

The wolf shook his head side to side.

_Then who did? And why does everyone blame you?_

The wolf looked down, breaking his gaze for the first time. He sat down straight with his paws in front and his eye line still tall enough to match Elsa's. This close, Elsa could tell that his breathing was labored and irregular.

_Please, let me and my friend help you. Let's get these arrows out._

The wolf looked up again but this time directed his stare toward the nervous and fidgety redhead still standing by the ledge behind Elsa.

"Elsa…" Anna tried whispering again, but louder this time. "I feel like he's giving me a look…"

Elsa responded while still trying to examine the injuries on the wolf's back.

"A look?"

"Like he wants to eat me."

"Anna, not everything wants to eat you."

"Els, I swear he just raised an eyebrow at me! He's giving me the stank eye!"

"I'm not even going to ask what that means."

_Don't worry vargr. She means no harm. She's just nervous, that's all._

The wolf tilted his head, one side then the other, while still trying to sniff the air toward the fearful girl.

_I wonder… If he can sense my magic, maybe he doesn't understand what's going on with Anna because of Andvari's ring?_

"Anna, he's just being curious. Now, don't be a scaredy-fox, and come over and help me."

Anna lifted her chin up in defiance at the accusation and began to walk toward the two magical beings in front of her.

"You did not just call me a scaredy-fox," she grumbled as she took a step forward.

She never made it to them.

* * *

Elsa was entirely focused on the spirit. Her eyes inspecting the arrows in his back, her hands running through the magical fur, fingers running over scars, and peeling flakes of dried blood off the skin underneath. Her senses were overwhelmed by the magical presence mingling with her own.

She never heard it coming.

* * *

It came careening through the forest. A hungry predator, breathless and sharp. Launched with such force that it sailed for hundreds of meters through the trees, arcing up into the canopy and dropping… dropping…

Landing deep into black fur and wary muscle.

Some beings cry out, some scream, and some yell their pain. A being as powerful as a wolf simply yelps and whimpers as its body is knocked over by the force of the metal teeth ripping through his skin.

Elsa cried out.

"NO!"

She looked in horror at the new arrow sticking out of the side of the spirit. No, not an arrow. A shaft as thick as her forearm and fletching made from massive eagle feathers covering a ring attached to a rope that extended deep into the dark forest.

The wolf tried to escape but the rope held him in place. It strained against his desperate attempt to pull free.

Elsa's anger flared like a cold sun as she whipped her head toward the forest to find the one who she knew would be there.

Her ears were greeted by a new sound. A sizzling in the air drew her eyes skyward toward a white satchel with a glowing fuse tumbling end over end.

Then the world went white.

The small floating object erupted into a white light that drowned all eyes unfortunate enough to be looking in its direction.

This time Elsa heard the arrows coming.

Even without sight, she raised an instinctive wall of ice before her, catching the arrows bearing down toward her head.

With her eyes shut, she could hear the frantic flailing of the wolf's body as it tried to get to its feet. The wall of ice had snapped the rope, allowing the wolf to flee toward the forest leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

"Anna?! Are you ok?! Where are you!?"

"Elsa! I'm right here."

Elsa felt the reassuring contact of the other girl's hand on her shoulder.

"Anna... I can't see anything."

"Oh man, you were staring right at that thing when it went off. My vision is starting to clear already. Let me help you. I'll spot the shooter and you blast him, ok?"

Elsa shook her head as she tried rubbing her eyes to no avail. "No. Anna, you have to go after the spirit."

"What?! Elsa, he ran off!"

"I know. You can't let him get away. If we lose him now, he'll die out there before we can find him again."

"But, what about the guy shooting at us? You can't fight someone you can't see."

"I can handle whoever's out there. Please, Anna, he needs your help more than I do."

"But, what if he eats me?"

"Anna!"

"Ok! Ok! I'll go find him! And, I swear, if you die… I… I will have words! You hear me?"

"Anna…"

She gave Elsa a quick peck on the forehead.

"Don't keep me waiting," she finally said as she stood and ran as fast as she could through the trees.

* * *

"Well…. Well…...well….."

_I knew it. I knew he was up to something._

Elsa could hear the slow rustling of underbrush being trampled by heavy boots and the click of a fresh arrow into the worn crossbow.

"Today must be my lucky day. Looks like I've got myself a two'fer! A werewolf _and_ a witch! My oh my, Percy you _are_ good at what you do."

"As if a pathetic hunter could defeat…"

Her voice was cut off by the sound of shattered glass against her ice. Some unknown substance melting a hole just big enough for an arrow to sneak through. She felt the tip of the searing hot metal graze the skin of her cheek as she deked her head out of the way just in time.

_What? How did he...?_

"Little girl... You think you're the first witch I've killed?"

Another sizzle entered her ears followed by the clank of metal on the rock she stood on. She blasted in the general direction of the sound but it wasn't in time. A small black ball rolled toward her feet and erupted with a deafening *BOOM*.

Her body didn't feel any force from the explosion. Instead, all of the kinetic energy seemed to have been turned into pure sound that slammed into her eardrums causing her head to fill with endless ringing.

Her senses deprived, her body found itself inside of a solid ball of ice.

* * *

"Find the giant wolf, save the giant wolf. Sure thing Elsa, let me just use my expert skills at tracking magical animals and somehow not get my head bitten off."

Bruni flashed a flame on her shoulder.

"No offense Bruni."

Anna ran through the dark forest, trying her best to follow the trail of blood and disturbed foliage through the shadows of the trees.

Bruni jumped off her shoulders and fully ignited, illuminating a path before her as he seemingly flew between the trees.

"Careful Bruni! A forest fire is the last thing we need right now."

*SNAP*

"What was that?" Anna stopped dead in her tracks. She watched as Bruni glided over to a small clearing where he flashed his flames again, signaling her to come over.

As she got closer she could hear whimpers coming from a soft blue glow on the ground.

"Oh my god…"

The wolf was lying there with his paw caught in the steel jaws of a leg trap. The glowing blue orbs of his fur were pulsating slowly as he struggled to pull from the trap.

Anna came over and knelt beside the poor spirit.

"Shhh… it's ok. I'll get you out of there."

The wolf snapped at her. His ears were down, tail tucked between his legs. He was desperately trying to pull away from the trap, to pull away from her, but it was chained into the ground and would not give.

But neither would Anna.

* * *

Elsa felt a presumptuous finger tap on her sphere of ice.

"Interesting magic you've got, girl. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve too."

Leitch pulled out a vial from his belt. A simple glass container with no perceivable opening filled with an unassuming clear liquid. He stepped back and flung the vial toward the sphere.

The glass shattered on contact, spilling the contents across the surface.

And melting through.

A drop landed on Elsa's ankle. It sizzled against her skin and she cried out as she grabbed her ankle, trying to cool the burning sensation. The rest of the sphere dissipated as she tried to back away from the burning liquid dripping into her sanctum.

Her vision still not returned and her head still ringing, she was greeted with a solid block of wood to her temple as the butt of the crossbow was slammed into the side of her head causing her to collapse onto the rock.

* * *

"Please! I'm trying to help you! I know you can understand me. I may not have any magic but I'm the only chance you've got right now."

Anna had her arms out in front of her. She was still kneeling, trying to get closer to the trap even as the wolf snarled and snapped his jaws at her. Her heart was racing with fear and determination.

_Come on, let me help you. Calm down, just... calm down. I need to calm down. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of you… I'm afraid for you. Please….._

The snarling slowly subsided and his body slowly resigned to the fatigue. He looked up at her with those blue eyes that suddenly felt like she was staring at Elsa all over again.

_Those eyes look just like hers… that fear… he's more afraid of me than I am of him._

With renewed resolve, she reached out and grabbed the sharp spikes of the trap with both hands.

And pulled.

_Holy shit this is hard! How did it not just snap his foot clean off?_

Anna repositioned her body, got as close as she could, no longer afraid of the wounded spirit. Firmly planting her feet in the ground and pouring all the strength she had into her muscles to pry open the deathly jaws.

They wouldn't budge.

She fell backward, panting and rubbing her hands from the strain against the metal.

"Ok, asshole. I'm gonna pry that mouth open, whether you like it or not!"

_Ok, I have no idea how these things work. There must be a way to open it. How else do they reset them? Or get the animal out in the first place? Think Anna, think!_

_Let's see what we got here. Jaws, they don't budge. A plate, that seems to be what sets it off. A long handle attached to a chain. Hmmm. The handle kind of looks like it's got a spring near the jaws. I wonder if…_

Anna grabbed the handle with both hands and pushed down. The end attached to the jaws was pressed down, pushing the spring and releasing the lock on the jaws allowing them to loosen just enough for the wolf to pull his foot out.

Anna let go and they snapped back into place.

"Yes! I did it!"

Her victory was short-lived as she looked over at the wolf still lying on his side.

* * *

_My head is still ringing, and my eyes refuse to clear. I have to get up. I have to stop him. I have to help Anna. I have to…._

She felt the wind knocked out of her as a boot came up into her abdomen, causing her to roll toward the edge of the rock.

"You know, I've killed plenty of stags."

His boot came down on her back, his spur digging into her skin.

"I've killed, god knows how many, wolves."

Another kick to her stomach.

"But, you wanna know the best part of my job? I'll tell ya."

He crouched down, with his elbows on his knees and his crossbow sitting draped over his leg as he leaned in toward the girl coughing in pain and clutching her stomach.

"Killing _witches_. Sure, monsters and animals are all fine and dandy. But witches? Now that's where the fun is at. You see, you ain't the first, you certainly won't be the last. Hell, you ain't even the youngest witch I've carved up!"

"You...you're a monster…" She wheezed through fits of blood filled coughs.

"HA! That's rich coming from a freak like you! The monster is the one that pays when you kill 'em, sweety. And a witch fetches a pretty penny."

He placed his crossbow on the ground and pulled out an obscenely large hunting knife from his belt.

"Most folks, they like to burn witches. When you don't have any fire, a noose works just as well. Me? I prefer a more… _hands-on_ approach."

He kicked her over so that she was lying on her back, her neck exposed and veins pulsing.

And all she felt was cold steel against her skin.

* * *

"Please… be ok. Please, don't die."

Anna was kneeling over the wolf as he lay there, his breath erratic and the magic around him pulsing slower and slower.

_Shit, what do I do now? Elsa still isn't here. Should I go back? Does she need my help? Fuck, I need her help! I don't know how to heal this thing!_

"Ok, you're magic, right? So maybe if I take out all of these arrows you can heal yourself? Let's try that."

She frantically looked back and forth between the various protrusions sticking out from his body.

After a hard gulp, she figured, "Best to start with the big one?"

She grabbed hold of the thick arrow shaft sticking out of his side. She braced herself for one quick pull.

_Here we go… one…..two…._

"Three!"

The wolf howled out in pain into the moonlight. The shaft came right out along with a massive, four-point arrowhead the size of a fist.

"Jesus Christ… talk about overcompensating."

Sudden relief washed over Anna as she looked at the wound already healing itself with glowing magical energy.

_Ok, Anna. Next arrow. You got this._

Another shaft, another heave, and another arrowhead pulled from the body. And another and another.

_I've lost count of how many I've pulled out. Ok, last one. Let's do this!_

Before she grabbed hold of the last arrow something stood out to her.

_Huh. This arrow looks different from all the rest. It's… white. The wood is white. Like, really white. And the feathers at the top are totally different. I've never even seen feathers this color of blue before. Some hunter must have paid some serious moola for a few fancy arrows._

Anna took hold of the last arrow.

And then her body was wracked with pain.

She was thrown backward, her entire arm jolted from some kind of energy.

_What the fuck was that?_

She watched with renewed horror as the wolf started to convulse before her. His back heaved and his tongue hung out as he hacked and coughed, splattering dark blood all over the ground. His feet dug into the earth and his entire body shook with convulsions as dark energy flooded his surroundings.

"Oh….Shit."

_What….the hell….am I looking at?_

As the body convulsed, the black hair began to fall away, revealing pale skin. Anna's ears filled with the sound of cracking bones and torn ligaments.

Paws grew into hands. Claws flattened into nails. Fur fell to the floor and the creature, all of a sudden, stood on its hind legs. It's mouth foamed as the jaw fractured and reformed itself.

And then those blue eyes were gone, transformed into a hungry red as Anna found herself staring at not a wolf…

But a man.

* * *

Cold steel.

Colder and colder against her skin…

Cold enough to freeze.

"What the hell?" Leitch grimaced the words through gritted teeth as he stared disbelieving at the slender, yet powerful hand grasping his wrist.

A blue wave of solid ice radiated out from underneath those fingers, reaching all the way to the tip of the knife and traveling down his arm.

A frozen arm slowly being raised in the air by the woman rising to her feet.

"Let go of me, you bitch!"

Elsa's eyes opened and he fell to his knees, pummeled by the weight of the avalanche behind those glowing glacial irises bearing down on him.

"I do not enjoy killing."

The ice traveled down. Down his arm, across his chest, enveloped his legs and swallowed his neck. His free hand desperately tried to find some means of salvation from his belt of tools before it too became petrified.

"No... stop! Please!"

" **But I will enjoy killing you."**

The fear in his eyes was forever frozen as they gazed up at the last thing they would ever see.

A cold smile.

* * *

Suddenly, Elsa became rocked by a familiar scream.

_Anna!_

She launched herself into the forest, gliding on pillars of ice toward the flashing light she could see up ahead.

"Anna! Where are you?!"

She landed in the clearing illuminated by Bruni's flashing signal. She quickly found Anna laying face down in the leaves.

"Anna?! What happened?!"

She turned the other girl over and saw deep, red marks on her neck just as she started to cough and get her breath.

"Who did this to you? Is there another hunter?"

Still coughing, Anna managed to find her voice through her burning trachea.

"No…. It was…. the wolf spirit…."

"What? That's not…."

"He's cursed Elsa! He…. the wolf isn't the one killing everyone… It's the _man_. He turned into a man and…. tried to kill me. But someone else… shot an arrow through his arm and he dropped me and ran."

"Someone else? So there is another hunter."

Anna managed to sit up and her coughing subsided.

"I dunno, but we have to find the wolf first. The last arrow in his back… It's the curse. But, just let me at it again and I know I can pull it out. I just have to remember to use the hand with the magic ring on it this time."

"Ok. Can you stand?"

Anna nodded her head affirmatively.

"Bruni!? Did you see where he went?" Elsa shouted into the canopy.

The salamander was up in the trees and flashed an excited confirmation before taking off in a blazing trail.

Before getting a chance to respond, Elsa had swept Anna up off her feet and launched the two of them into the air.

* * *

_He is running fast, but Bruni is on his trail. We're almost there._

Elsa landed effortlessly on her feet and gently lowered the girl in her arms to stand beside her. Bruni had led them to a clearing where they saw a trail of blood leading up a dirt path and straight into…

"The hunting lodge. He's hiding in the hunting lodge." Elsa had a sneer across her face at the thought of going back inside that place.

"Ready Anna?"

Anna was staring straight ahead toward the wooden doors that were busted off their hinges leading into a now pitch black, two-story coffin sitting in the middle of the forest. The spires somehow seemed more mangled and twisted in the shadows of the moonlight. Dark windows staring at them like open sores of a festering wound on a corrupted tree.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They slowly crept up the stairs and walked through the ruptured doors into the void of the inner room. Both of them oblivious to the slight pain in their hands caused by their fingers clinging tightly to each other, laced together with resolve.

Anna spied something on the ground and she knelt down to pick it up.

"It's the arrow that was shot through his arm when he dropped me. Are you sure it wasn't Leitch that shot this?"

"I'm positive," Elsa said with more than a chill to her voice.

Anna returned the arrow to the floor and tried to look around the empty room.

"Can you sense his magic?"

Elsa had her hand against her temple and an eye shut with a gnawing pain in her head.

"No… the curse is too strong. Its presence is drowning out everything around us. It almost feels like we are swimming in magical energy."

Suddenly they heard a *BANG* from just behind them. They spun around to face the previously demolished doors, now seemingly repaired and slammed shut.

"What the hell?" Anna slowly backed up and subconsciously placed her hand against the wall. She immediately recoiled as her skin sank into a soft, wet, squishy surface that was no longer made of wood. She looked at her open palm and then realized that the unfamiliar smell of rusted metal had returned.

"Uh…. Elsa….?"

Elsa immediately released a glowing snowflake into the air, casting shadows all around and illuminating the pulsing, vein laden walls all around them.

"Jeesus, the walls are bleeding!"

"The curse is reacting to the raw death that this place is exuding. Manifesting the pain within these walls as sheer trauma."

Elsa had backed up against an adjoining wall, her ear brushing up against one of the severed wolf head trophies mounted now into the fleshy façade.

She felt the hair on her neck start to slowly sway. A slight breeze tickled her cheek. A warm, humid, vaporous air brushing past the side of her face.

Hot breath in her ear.

She ducked her head just in time to avoid the *SNAP* of jaws.

Spinning around on her heel she threw a blast of cold energy toward the body-less head as it snarled and snapped its jaws dripping with spit and blood from the walls. Just as it was frozen back into a state of inanimateness, the remaining mounted heads sprung to life.

Anna felt a warm liquid drop on her head as she stared up and saw the gnashing teeth of a mounted wolf above her.

She released a scream, not paying attention to the hand coming out of the wall behind her.

"Ah! Shit, Elsa something's got me!"

Elsa turned her body toward the scream and saw an arm, soaked in blood, protruding out of the wall with its slick fingers grasping tightly onto one of Anna's braids.

"I'm coming, Anna!" She ran over there just as the ginger and white braid was pulled, and sucked straight into the wall.

"Ah, God this feels nasty!"

She could feel the hot and moist muscle against the back of her neck, liquid oozing down her skin.

"Hold on, I'll cut it off!"

"NO! Don't cut off my braid! I'll die without it!"

"You're going to die _with_ it! I'm cutting it off!"

"Els, let's not be hasty...there must be another way!"

Before Elsa had a chance to ignore her, another hand came out of the wall and slithered over her mouth, pulling her entire body through the vacuous membrane.

"Anna!" She pounded her hands against the wall, frozen blocks of ice forming against the sinew where her fists made contact. She tried stabbing the flesh with her fingers, desperate to pry it open.

The hair on the back of her neck began to sway again.

Her head twisted and through the corner of her eye, her vision was flooded by the red-eyed hunger of a man's face hovering over her shoulder.

She tried to swing her arm up to defend herself, blasting cold energy the entire way, but he was too close. She felt the hard bones of knuckle smack into her cheekbone, sending her flying through the air spinning and landing into the wooden tables on the other side of the room.

* * *

_Ew. It's squidgy. And I can't move. Now I know what food feels like when it goes down my throat. I apologize to all of those chocolate truffles I've inhaled over the years._

Anna felt a tickle in her dress as she looked down and found a pair of salamander eyes staring up at her.

"Hold on, Bruni. If you light up now, you'll probably light me on fire too. No, let me figure out another way out of here."

Her body was completely smothered in flesh with blood sloshing around her entire body. She tried flexing her hand, getting the fingers to open up and press against the wall.

She felt a slight warmth on her finger where the dwarven ring was activated against the dark magic that was trying to suffocate her. The muscle and ligaments quivered and recoiled at the touch of the enchanted metal. She swore that she also heard it _scream_.

 _Well, that's disconcerting. Screaming flesh. At least I know I'm unpalatable to_ someone _._

The gap allowed her arm to reach up in front of her and begin to push her meaty prison away from her. Using both hands, she clawed her fingers through the pulsing, slick, and sticky membrane. Squeezing her legs through the gap being made with her hands as blood lubricated her skin.

* * *

Elsa shook off the impact and tried to get to her feet, but the cursed spirit was right on top of her. He pummeled his fists straight down, elbows and arms intending to snap her spine.

She twisted at the last second, her shield appearing out of thin air between her body and the solid forearms falling toward her.

The magical strength was daunting. Repeated blows smashed against her shield, pressing her back into the floor. As he brought his arms up for another strike, she froze his feet in place and rolled out of his reach.

He snarled at her as he tried to break free from his icy bonds. That's when she saw the white arrow still sticking out of his back. She froze his hands as they came into contact with the blocks of ice around his feet. Then she ran around his back and grabbed hold of the arrow with both hands.

Red lightning erupted around her arms and sent her flying backward through the air.

She lay on the ground, body spasming from the magical repellant. The outburst caused his bonds to shatter and he twisted his snarling body toward her still prone and twitching on the floor.

He grabbed a pair of nearby antlers off of the wall and lumbered toward her like a predator going in for the kill of it's wounded prey. He slammed the antlers down, bringing out a high pitched scream. One point into her shoulder, and another piercing the muscle in her abdomen. The sharp bone punctured all the way into the wood floor below.

He pushed the bones harder into the ground, deeper into her body. She could feel that hot breath hitting her face as she fiercely tried to fight off blacking out.

* * *

The sound of unnatural, high pitched cries of tormented flesh echoed in Anna's ear as she squirmed her way out of the oozing cavity and nearly collapsed onto the hardwood floor.

"Ew, ew. It's in my mouth. I think it's in my mouth. Bleh!"

She halted her hacking when she heard a different scream. She looked over just as a pair of red eyes broke from one prey to gaze at the next. She saw the cursed spirit, hunched over, naked, and covered from head to toe in blood. And beneath him, with her arms grabbing hold of the antlers buried into her body….

"OhmyGod! ELSA!"

At the sound of her voice, Elsa looked up and saw her attacker was no longer focused on her. She let go of the antlers and instead took hold of his hands still trying to jam the bone through her body. Ice enveloped both his arms and hers, locking them together in a frozen embrace.

"Anna! Get the arrow!"

"Oh shit! Get the arrow, get the arrow! I'm on it!"

She ran over to the two bodies on the ground. It snarled and snapped its human-shaped jaws but Elsa had him firmly held down, even as she grit her teeth through the pain wracking her entire body.

_Use the ring hand, use the ring hand!_

Anna wrapped a hand around the shaft of the final arrow. The ring glowed bright blue at the contact with the cursed object. Magical forces colliding in a struggle of power and will. Red lightning shot all around, out of the wound, around her arm, trying to shatter the dwarven presence imposing its strength onto the dark magic.

Anna was forced to shut her eyes from the strain as she pulled with all her might.

_Why is this arrow not budging?! It's like it's fighting me. Like it's holding on tighter and tighter and refuses to let go._

Despite the pain she knew would hit her, she grabbed the arrow with her second hand. Red magical energy immediately erupting around the shaft and swirling around her arm like bolts of lightning through her nerves.

The arrow finally started to give.

She heard a new scream. This one deeper and gargling. She cracked one eye open just in time to see the man's head thrashing around as if his neck was no longer attached to a spine. Then it twisted in jerky motions until those red eyes came over it's back and met her fear, wanting to devour every last drop.

"HOLY freaky head twisting FUCK! "

With a final surge of strength, aided by the sudden shock and horror, the arrow came flying out of the spirits back, blood gushing like a geyser into Anna's face.

Her ears rang with blood-curdling screams and she was terrified at the fact that she couldn't tell if it was the spirit… or Elsa.

She wiped the blood from her eyes in time to see the spirit shouting into the air, his face still turned over his back and staring right into her soul. His body began to glow red. The skin ripped apart into swirling orbs of magic that exploded in all directions, leaving no trace of the man behind.

For a mere second, the two women were alone. Dusted in the magic light of a snowflake. Anna sat on her butt, and Elsa on her back with a cage of bone still stuck into her flesh.

"Holy shit, Elsa! I'll pull out the horns, hang on." She got to her feet and ran over, nearly tumbling ontop of the other girl.

Elsa coughed up blood in her response. "Antlers…"

"Huh?" Anna said as she yanked on the bones with her tired arms as they were firmly rooted in the floor.

"They're not horns…. They're antlers…"

"Don't correct me when I'm trying to save you! No one knows the difference anyway."

"It's not that hard…" she wheezed out just as she was interrupted by her breath suddenly leaving her along with the sharp intrusions from her skin.

Anna was breathing heavily at the exertion and also from relief as she saw magical energy already swirling around Elsa's wounds.

Her relief was slightly subdued by the sudden shaking all around them. The next thing she knew, she had two strong arms wrap around her back and pull her down to the floor as she was engulfed by a sphere of ice.

* * *

The walls melted. Blood pooling into the ground, muscle being torn and squishing under the sudden weight of the wooden castle it once was. Cursed magic no longer able to sustain it, the castle came crashing down. The foundation that was rendered into soft meat was crushed under the falling spires and shingled roof.

Severed heads and scalped antlers fell into the soup below, no longer snarling with hatred and hunger.

The cavernous void of glorified death collapsed in on itself, crushing everything save for a magic ball at its heart.

* * *

Anna opened her eyes and found herself counting pale freckles.

_Three… four… five…. Wait what am I doing?_

The pale skin became wrinkled at the crinkling of a slender nose.

"Anna… your eyelashes are tickling my nose."

Anna bolted up to her feet, and immediately smacked her head against the top of the ice ball that housed them.

"OW!" she yelped as she furiously rubbed the top of her ruby head.

"Are you ok?!" Elsa said from down below, still lying on her back but trying to prop herself up on her elbows.

"Stop asking if I'm ok when you're the one that's half-dead!"

"Don't worry, I'm already healing."

"I noticed. That doesn't change the fact that you _were_ half dead."

As the shaking had come to a halt, Elsa receded their magical sanctuary. She stood up and looked at the ruins they found themselves standing in the middle of.

"Whoa. Nothing's left. The whole lodge collapsed."

"Good riddance."

As they climbed their way out of the rubble, Elsa stumbled over the debris causing Anna to catch her arm.

"Whoa there, see! Take it easy Ms. I-Have-Magical-Healing."

"Anna. I tripped. I'm not dying."

"And I'm not letting go."

Elsa looked down at their hands entwined and just responded with a comforted smile.

* * *

As they stepped out of the debris the forest suddenly became alive.

It glowed with a soft blue light, made more brilliant by the bathing of the moon, and descended from the canopy. A magical rainfall that began to swirl between the branches into an aerial river of light. It danced around Elsa, her braid blowing in the wind. It swirled around Anna, her skirt ruffled against the wind.

Finally, all points converged into black fur and fluffy tail with ears perked up and thankful blue eyes.

Both women stopped and met the gaze of the black-haired wolf now standing before them. He slowly walked toward them, and Elsa felt a tightening grip in her hand. Without saying anything, she just squeezed back and watched as the wolf walked right up to Anna.

Anna flinched and could not help but have a tinge of fear at the massive creature standing in front of her. Then there was an unexpected sensation against her cheek. A cold, wet nose pressed up against her skin followed by a nuzzle of soft fur under her chin.

"He says thank you."

Anna hesitantly reached up with her free hand and pet the giant wolf, stroking the fur along his neck. He backed away and gave a respectful nod to the other magical being and a look akin to as much of an apology as those eyes could convey without words.

"No hard feelings," Elsa said. "You're safe now." Elsa also reached out with her free hand and magical energy swirled around each other once again as glowing blue orbs danced with the snowflakes across her skin.

They stood there with their arms wrapped around the wolf spirit, embraced in relief and gratitude. The fur glistened in the moonlight as more magical energy illuminated within their arms. They watched as the tall and imposing spirit dissolved into a starry constellation of magical light that danced around their bodies.

Then they watched as the blue orbs swirled up into the air and retreated back into the forest, thankful for the long-needed rest.

* * *

They heard a *SNAP* from behind them. They spun around to find a man in the middle of the wreckage.

_What? Who is that? And how did he get there without me sensing his presence at all?_

"Who are you? Are you another hunter?" Elsa reflexively had her arm up and pointed straight ahead, an icy spear already forming in her palm.

She watched as the man slowly bent down and rifled through the debris.

"A hunter? Nay… I have not been called a huntsman in…. quite a long time."

He picked up something from under the fallen tables and splintered walls and then began to walk toward them. He had a longbow slung over one shoulder and a quiver of arrows behind his lower back.

Anna whispered into Elsa's ear, "Els, I think those are the same arrows like the one that shot the spirit in the arm when he was trying to kill me."

As he got closer they could see, through the moonlight, that he was an older man. His hair reached his neck and was a deep grey that matched his short, grey beard and thin mustache. He had a simple brown vest with green sleeves underneath, a wide leather belt, and a long cape trailing behind him.

As he left the ruined lodge, he stopped in front of them and gave a small bow, lifting off his cap, adorned with an old red feather, and revealing a shiny bald head on top of the ring of grey hair.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you."

"Are you the one that saved me from before? That shot the spirit in the arm?"

He nodded his head causing a ripple in his pronounced jowls.

"Aye, fräulein. I am relieved to see that you both are not terribly hurt."

"Well, that's debatable," Anna said as she shot a worrying look toward Elsa who was still standing as rigid as ever, ready to defend… or attack at a moment's notice.

"Yes… you are alive at least. That is most impressive considering the ordeal you both have been through. I… I just wanted to thank you."

Elsa raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Thank us? For what?"

"For saving the wolfgeist. And the other waldgeist, yesterday. You have my utmost gratitude."

He lowered his bow even more. His eyes dropped to the ground, seemingly lowering his guard as well in the face of a woman still pointing a magical hand in his direction.

Elsa questioned him with a distrusting frost on her breath.

"You know of the spirits? And you do not think them monsters? If you are not a hunter then…. what are you?"

He straightened his back and returned his cap to cover the baldness at the top of his head.

"I am a förster. A… ranger if you will."

"A ranger?" Anna asked. "What is that?"

"You could say that we are an offshoot of the hunters guild. Hunting has ever been the most popular way of dealing with… problems. But some of us felt that there was another way. A better way to manage life with the magic that is all around us."

He lifted his arms and turned from side to side, encompassing their surroundings in his embrace.

"And so I formed the rangergilde. We are small in number, but we travel the world and aid people, particularly in matters of a natural or magical sort. We do not blindly kill the first thing that comes into our view. Our main goal…. is to help. A case in point. Eh… may I..?"

Elsa slowly lowered her arm and allowed him to take a few steps closer. He lifted his hands in front of them to show what he had salvaged from the ruins.

"If Herr Leitch had his way, he would have killed the spirit and not thought another second of the matter. You, however, saved the spirit, returned the forest to order, and revealed the cause of the chaos."

Elsa looked down at the white arrow with blue fletching in his hand. She scanned down to the arrowhead and her eyes grew wide with realization.

"This black iron. I've seen it before!"

He nodded his head. "Yes. The waldgeist you saved yesterday. I watched you remove that nail from his horn. Well done, indeed."

Scrutiny returned to her face. "You were watching us?"

_He was watching us and I couldn't tell this entire time?_

"I came to this forest because I heard reports of unnatural happenings. People being attacked by all manner of waldgeist. Hunters struggling to contain the attacks. You were the first person to stop an attack _and_ discover a clue as to what is going on."

Elsa examined the jagged edges and rough surface of the iron arrowhead. Its magic had dissipated but it still exuded a dark aura.

"But what does it mean? It seems someone is trying to corrupt the forest, but why?"

"I cannot say." The old man looked concerningly at the arrow. "I've never seen an arrow like this before. I am the only ranger in this region and I feel I must stay and help the people here recover from these attacks. It may be some time before I can follow this trail."

"Then let us follow it!"

He turned and looked at the girl who was decidedly less than hostile toward him in her demeanor than the taller one.

"This ranger business seems like it's much more suited to us than monster hunting, right Els?"

"You two wish to become rangers?" The man looked decidedly perplexed between the two of them. Anna practically jumping up and down with excitement and Elsa just looking at her and shrugging her shoulders confusingly.

"Sure, why not? We thought that becoming monster hunters would make it easier to travel around. But Leitch was gross. And it wasn't really our thing. This seems much more appealing to us."

"That is true… We did just want to help these people and the forest…" Elsa said, still unsure as to whether to trust the stranger or not.

The mysterious man reached out to give Elsa the arrow in his hands.

"I know you do not trust this stranger before you. I do not blame you. Herr Leitch was always a cunning and ruthless man. Frankly speaking, I am not sad to see him depart this life. It seems to me like you two have already done a rangers work. Who am I to stop you from continuing?"

"Yes! So what's our mark? Do we get like a cool horn or something?"

"Haha!" The man chuckled sending his jowls and girthy midsection rippling with amusement.

"No… we do not partake in such frivolous objectifications."

"Then how do people know if you're a ranger or not?"

He brought his hand up to his chin to scratch at his beard.

"Why not simply announce that you are rangers?"

"Cause that seems dumb. And boring."

"I do not deny this. There are so few of us, it has not yet occurred that we needed marks to designate ourselves rangers. We can go into a hunting lodge and request the same bounties, use the same job boards. We simply say we are working for the rangergilde instead of the jagdgilde."

Anna crossed her arms in her usual mode of defiance.

"Well, no offense, but the last time we walked into a hunting lodge I had an arrow headed straight toward my face without me even getting a chance to say what I was."

"Fair point, fräulein. Then, what do you suggest?"

Elsa unexpectedly chimed in. "How about a lock of fiery red hair?"

Anna looked over with horror in her face and her eyes bugging out of her head toward Elsa who had a mischievous look in her eye. She had her hand up and was making scissor motions with her fingers while taunting with a raised eyebrow. Then her fingers became encased in icicle blades that added a *SNIP* to the threat.

"Don't you dare! You keep those magical fingers away from my babies!" Anna was clutching tightly to each braid as if to shield them with her life.

Elsa just chuckled, causing a slight spasm in her still-healing body, and she reached up to hold her injured shoulder as she dissolved the blades from her fingers.

Anna was still hard at thought, and still caressing her imperiled braid when she spied Bruni over at the wreckage.

"What ya doin over there?" She asked as she walked over.

She heard a slight sizzle as she got close and could see little wisps of smoke rising from under his pudgy toes. He looked in her direction and made his way off of the plank of wood he was standing on, and up her dress to sit on her shoulders. She bent down and found herself looking at tracks of scorched footprints in the wood.

"This is perfect Bruni! Good job!"

Bruni tilted his head and licked his eyeball, and her cheek in the process. She picked up the wood and skipped over back toward Elsa.

"Hey Els, punch a hole in this will ya?"

"Excuse me?" Elsa looked at the wood and raised another eyebrow and slightly backed away from the piece of garbage in Anna's hands.

"Bruni made us a symbol! You can punch little holes in this wood making little tokens with these footprints on them!"

"That…. is not a bad idea, I suppose."

"I think it is a splendid idea!" The mystery man bellowed out.

Elsa proceeded to carve out small discs, each one with a random arrangement of engraved salamander footprints across their surface. She handed one to Anna and placed one in her hidden pouch. Then she turned toward the man.

"I still do not trust you. I don't know anything about you. But you did save Anna when I wasn't there. And for that, I thank you."

Anna's freckles were drowned in a sea of blush.

"I will continue my journey, doing what I can to help. If I find that you are not what you say, that you are deceiving us, or have malicious intentions, I will not hesitate to stop you."

He bowed once again.

"I would not have a ranger act any other way. Let us do this proper. You may call me Humbert. Would you like to join me and my small band of wardens?"

He removed his thick leather glove and extended an outstretched hand. She looked from his hand to his pale green eyes.

_I… I don't sense any malice in those eyes. I also don't feel…. any fear. He's seen my powers and yet that fear and blood lust I am so used to is not there. There is a vast breadth of experiences behind them but they only show… warmth. Like Lady Snow… Like Anna…_

Elsa reached out and grasped his weathered and calloused hand.

"Elsa. Elsa Isskjoldr."

His face beamed with a joyous smile.

"A pleasure to meet you, frau Isskjoldr!"

He released his firm grip to turn to the still blushing Anna standing nearby.

"And you are frau Anna, yes?"

"Yes… Thanks for saving me earlier, Mr. Humbert."

"Please, Humbert is just fine."

He turned back to Elsa who began to hand him the remaining ranger marks she had made from the burned wood.

"I will distribute these to any of the other rangers I encounter. I have a few I can send them out to. You do know that no one will know what these mean?"

"We are starting a new tradition! And seriously, what's a guild without a symbol?"

"Quite right, frau Anna!"

"Next we can come up with a secret handshake!"

"Ok, Let's not get carried away Anna."

"What a wonderful idea!"

Elsa looked in dismay as Anna and Humbert began exchanging all manner of eccentric and ridiculous hand gestures toward each other.

"Herr Humbert please, don't encourage her."

Elsa came over and wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulders in an attempt to drag her away.

"Come on, Anna. I think it's your bedtime."

"Who died and made you my mother? Wait, we haven't figured out the finger locking and fist bump sequence yet!"

Elsa ignored her plea as she forcefully dragged her away.

"Well, uh… See ya later Bert!" Anna exclaimed as she excitedly waved her hand back and forth in the air.

"Until next time!" Humbert simply raised his hand in response. Then turned and began to walk back into the forest, looking down at his hands and attempting to replicate the complicated finger movements and shaking his head with amusement.

Elsa stopped and released Anna from her hold.

"Before we set up camp, there's one more thing we should do."

Elsa turned toward the ruins of the lodge.

"Bruni. If you please."

From the top of Anna's shoulder, Bruni nodded his acknowledgment. He leaped onto the ground and ran toward the wreckage.

And the forest became illuminated with a blazing inferno.

Elsa looked out at the controlled flames engulfing the remains of the curse. Then she looked down at the white arrow in her hands. She placed a hand over the iron arrowhead, concentrated her magic, and shattered the metal into a fine, frozen powder that scattered into the wind.

* * *

As the night was coming to a close, the two newly minted rangers found themselves sitting by a salamander fueled campfire.

Anna was sitting, her legs outstretched in front of her, and twirling the wooden ranger token in her fingers.

"Man, I'm beat. We've been up all night. How are you feeling Els?"

No response.

"Elsa?"

Anna suddenly yelped as a snowy white head came crashing down onto her lap.

"Uh… Elsa….?"

Anna looked down and couldn't help but be washed with a flutter through her heart.

_She's totally passed out. She's totally passed out on my lap. She looks so peaceful… Nothing like the ball of nerves she's been all day. Well, I guess I'll take first watch._

She could not restrain herself from caressing the snowy locks and brushing a stray bang away from the pale face with hints of purple waves across her skin from the magical firelight.

_Sweet dreams, Elsa. Maybe I'll pass the time by counting your freckles again._

_One… two….three…..four…...five….*YAWN*...siiiixx….._

Anna's vision blurred. She barely felt herself falling backward as the back of her head landed in a soft pillow of thick, black fur.

_Mmmmm…. This bed feels great…_

The forest was filled with the sound of light dreaming and heavy snoring as the two girls fell into a deep slumber, nestled in the warmth of the fire and under the watchful gaze of a thankful wolf curled around their wary bodies.

* * *

Next Time on ELSA: SNOW QUEEN

"Mmmm… these hills are so nice. So peaceful. So alive. It's almost like… these hills… are alive with the sound of… *SNORE*..."

"SISTER ANNA!"

"AHH! I'm awake! I'm sorry Sister Berthe, it won't happen again, I swear."

"This is no way for a sister of the church to behave! Really….. Sleeping during Mass, playing games with the other sisters. Laughing at the Reverend Mother even. I know you are new here, but I can't imagine the church in the Norslands condones this… are you eating?!"

"Um…..no…."

"Where do you even hide all of this chocolate!? Why can't you be like Sister Elsa? The very model of piety and poise."

"Ya well, I bet you Sister Elsa has some chocolate up her…..OW! She kicked me!"

"Oh dear God in Heaven. Help me. Help me figure out how to solve this problem. This problem like….Anna."

* * *

We are taking a break from the horror and taking a step into the world of…. PARODY! What's an episodic TV show without some parody? I am really excited about this episode. I've been planning this parody since the pilot. While it will help if you are familiar with the movie, I am hoping to write a story that can stand on its own enough so that it doesn't need the movie to carry it. Trust me when I say that it's NOT going to be just scenes from the movie with Elsa and Anna thrown into it.

In the next episode, the girls are thrown into the world of 'The Sound of Music'. But this is not the story you may remember. Why are they nuns in a church? Who is going to the Von Trapp castle? How will they sing their way off of the mountain? (There will not be singing except in your head) Where does Anna hide all that chocolate? All this and more on the next exciting episode of…

ELSA: SNOW QUEEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Norse  
> Vísundr - Bison
> 
> German  
> Jäger - Hunter  
> Jägermeister - Master Hunter  
> Jagdschloss - Hunting Lodge  
> Jagdgilde - Hunting Guild  
> Steinadler - Golden Eagle  
> Wolfgeist - Wolf Spirit  
> Waldgeist - Forest Spirit  
> Förster - Translates to Forest Ranger or Warden  
> Rangergilde - I kind of made this up. It's Rangers Guild in German. A rangers guild doesn't seem to exist so I took liberties.
> 
> A/N:
> 
> A note on translations
> 
> I am not a German speaker. I rely on google translate and general google searches. If anything seems overly wrong I apologize. Also, keep in mind that this is a fantasy and not historical. There will be purposeful misspellings of things such as the language being called "Diutsch" instead of "Deutsch" or "Norsr" instead of "Norse" etc.
> 
> Percival von Leitch
> 
> In case it wasn't clear (or for anyone who doesn't know), this is Percival C. McLeach from "The Rescuers Downunder". It is a favorite of mine and when trying to think of an antagonistic hunter character my mind went to him. I altered him to fit in a medieval/renaissance time period and germanic setting.
> 
> Humbert
> 
> This is the Huntsman from Snow White. I aged him, similarly like how I aged Snow White herself. Specifically, the original Huntsman from the 1937 Snow White. I know there are various versions of the Huntsman out there, but I liked the idea of this old and wisened ranger in the forest.
> 
> Behind the Scenes:
> 
> This episode is inspired by the trope of the wolf stigma in fairy tales and thus throughout history. I wanted to do a werewolf story but flip the concept of the transformation. I also wanted to use this as a way to establish the girls as adventurers and not just 'girls on the run'. I was actually worried that this chapter would run short. The 'haunted house' sequence was actually a late development, but it's probably my favorite part of the episode.


End file.
